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Data

Data protection, privacy and new technologies

More of our everyday lives are online — both at work and home. Meanwhile, terror attacks intensify calls for more surveillance. Concerns grow over the safety of our privacy and personal data.

FRA helps lawmakers and practitioners protect your rights in a connected world.

Highlights

  • Video
    In the Internet age, information travels faster and further than ever before. But so does disinformation, feeding off of rumours, prejudices and stereotypes. How do we push against it? Watch FRA manual on tackling disinformation using +INPUT – be positive, identify, narrate, pioneer, unite and track.
  • Report / Paper / Summary
    18
    June
    2020
    This document presents data from the FRA Fundamental Rights Survey. It includes data on opinions and experiences of people in the European Union (EU) linked to data protection and technology.
  • Handbook / Guide / Manual
    25
    May
    2018
    The rapid development of information technology has exacerbated the need for robust personal data protection, the right to which is safeguarded by both European Union (EU) and Council of Europe (CoE) instruments. Safeguarding this important right entails new and significant challenges as technological advances expand the frontiers of areas such as surveillance, communication interception and data storage. This handbook is designed to familiarise legal practitioners not specialised in data protection with this emerging area of the law.
  • Infographic
    Fundamental Rights Report 2019: 2018 was a landmark year for data protection. New EU rules took effect and complaints of breaches increased significantly.
    Publications and data
    14
    December
    2020
    Artificial intelligence (AI) already plays a role in deciding what unemployment benefits someone gets, where a burglary is likely to take place, whether someone is at risk of cancer, or who sees that catchy advertisement for low mortgage rates. Its use keeps growing, presenting seemingly endless possibilities. But we need to make sure to fully uphold fundamental rights standards when using AI. This report presents concrete examples of how companies and public administrations in the EU are using, or trying to use, AI. It focuses on four core areas – social benefits, predictive policing, health services and targeted advertising.
    29
    July
    2020
    As we enter the second half of 2020, the constraints on our daily lives
    brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic have become a firm reality.
    New local lockdowns and the reintroduction of restrictive measures
    prompted by fresh outbreaks of the virus are a stark reminder that
    COVID-19 continues to shape our lives – and our enjoyment of fundamental
    rights – in profound ways. There is compelling evidence of how the
    pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges in our societies. This FRA
    Bulletin outlines some of the measures EU Member States adopted to
    safely reopen their societies and economies while continuing to mitigate
    the spread of COVID-19. It highlights the impact these measures may have
    on civil, political and socioeconomic rights.
    22
    July
    2020
    This paper presents people’s concerns and experiences relating to security. It covers worry about crime, including terrorism and online fraud; experience of online fraud; experience of cyberharassment; and concern about illegal access to data.
    What are the next steps in the digitalisation of justice and of access to justice? This impulse video statement by FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty was recorded for the online conference “Access to Justice in the Digital Age”. The conference takes place on 16 July and is organised by the German Federal Ministry for Justice and Consumer Protection during the German Council Presidency.
    18
    June
    2020
    This document presents data from the FRA Fundamental Rights Survey. It includes data on opinions and experiences of people in the European Union (EU) linked to data protection and technology.
    11
    June
    2020
    Now available in Macedonian and Serbian
    13 November 2020
    The year 2019 brought both progress and
    setbacks in terms of fundamental rights protection.
    FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2020 reviews
    major developments in the field, identifying both
    achievements and remaining areas of concern.
    This publication presents FRA’s opinions on the main
    developments in the thematic areas covered, and a
    synopsis of the evidence supporting these opinions.
    In so doing, it provides a compact but informative
    overview of the main fundamental rights challenges
    confronting the EU and its Member States.
    11
    June
    2020
    FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2020 reviews major developments in the field in 2019, identifying both achievements and areas of concern. It also presents FRA’s opinions on these developments, including a synopsis of the evidence supporting these opinions. This year’s focus chapter explores how to unlock the full potential of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
    28
    May
    2020
    The Coronavirus pandemic continues to interrupt everyday life in the EU
    in unprecedented ways. But the way it affects our societies is shifting. As
    governments gradually lift some of the measures put in place to contain the
    spread of COVID-19, new fundamental rights concerns arise: how to ensure that
    the rights to life and health are upheld as daily life transitions to a ‘new normal’.
    This Bulletin looks at declarations of states of emergency, or equivalent, and
    how they came under scrutiny. It considers the impact on fundamental rights in
    important areas of daily life, and includes a thematic focus on the processing of
    users’ data to help contain COVID-19, particularly by contact-tracing apps. It covers the period 21 March – 30 April 2020.
    In this vlog Michael O'Flaherty outlines fundamental rights considerations when developing technological responses to public health, as he introduces the focus of FRA's next COVID-19 bulletin.
    8
    April
    2020
    The outbreak of COVID-19 affects people’s daily life in the 27 EU Member States. As the number of infected people in the EU territory began to mount rapidly in February and March, governments put in place a raft of measures – often introduced in a period of only a few days – in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. Many of these measures reflect how, in exceptional emergency situations, the urgent need to save lives justifies restrictions on other rights, such as the freedom of movement and of assembly. This report outlines some of the measures EU Member States have put in place to protect public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. It covers the period 1 February – 20 March 2020.
    Michael O'Flaherty talks in his vlog about the human rights aspects in the context of the Coronavirus epidemic and introduces FRA's new report.
    In the latest edition of his video blog, FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty speaks about the importance and power of hope accompanying the work of FRA in 2020. Particularly after a troubled start of the year.
    In the latest edition of his video blog, FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty speaks about the human rights challenges, but also the opportunities, that come along with the development of artificial intelligence technology.
    27
    November
    2019
    Facial recognition technology (FRT) makes it possible to compare digital facial images to determine whether they are of the same person. Comparing footage obtained from video cameras (CCTV) with images in databases is referred to as ‘live facial recognition technology’. Examples of national law enforcement authorities in the EU using such technology are sparse – but several are testing its potential. This paper therefore looks at the fundamental rights implications of relying on live FRT, focusing on its use for law enforcement and border-management purposes.
    As part of the background research for the Agency’s project on ‘Artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data and Fundamental Rights’, FRA has collected information on AI-related policy initiatives in EU Member States and beyond in the period 2016-2020. The collection currently includes about 350 initiatives.
    Fundamental Rights Report 2019: 2018 was a landmark year for data protection. New EU rules took effect and complaints of breaches increased significantly.
    12
    June
    2019
    The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has applied across the European Union (EU) since 25 May 2018. One year on, this paper looks at how the new regulation has affected the daily work of civil society organisations (CSOs).
    11
    June
    2019
    Algorithms used in machine learning systems and artificial intelligence (AI) can only be as good as the data used for their development. High quality data are essential for high quality algorithms. Yet, the call for high quality data in discussions around AI often remains without any further specifications and guidance as to what this actually means.
    6
    June
    2019
    How much progress can we expect in a decade? Various rights-related instruments had been in place for 10 years in 2018, prompting both sobering and encouraging reflection on this question.
    6
    June
    2019
    The year 2018 brought both progress and setbacks in terms of fundamental
    rights protection. FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2019 reviews major
    developments in the field, identifying both achievements and remaining areas
    of concern. This publication presents FRA’s opinions on the main developments
    in the thematic areas covered, and a synopsis of the evidence supporting these
    opinions.
    The Agency’s Director, Michael O’Flaherty, took part in a meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) on 9 February.
    From tracking the spread of COVID-19 to deciding who will receive social benefits, artificial intelligence (AI) affects the lives of millions of Europeans. Automation can improve decision-making. But AI can lead to mistakes, discrimination and be hard to challenge. A new EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) report reveals confusion about the impact of AI on people’s rights. This even among organisations already using it. FRA calls on policymakers to provide more guidance on how existing rules apply to AI and ensure any future AI laws protect fundamental rights.
    FRA’s Director joined the 7th Glion Human Rights Dialogue 2020 on 3 and 4 December. The high-level online event brought together over 100 human rights practitioners and experts.
    FRA took part in a meeting of the Public Interest Litigation Project on 17 November.
    The Estonian version of Handbook on European data protection law - 2018 edition is the latest language version of this popular handbook.
    On 30 October, FRA presented the fundamental rights implications of processing data in large-scale IT systems.
    FRA joined a debate on the legal control of algorithms.
    The European Commission held the second assembly of the AI Alliance on 9 October. It featured EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, representatives of the German Presidency of the European Council, as well as other high-level participants.
    FRA presented main findings from its ‘Facial recognition technology paper during an EFUS webinar.
    FRA joined a panel discussion on 14 September on the collection and sharing of information and new technologies in counter-terrorism.
    FRA Director Michael O'Flaherty gave a keynote speech in Salzburg on 28 August on fundamental rights during the COVID 19 pandemic.
    Living with COVID-19 continues to constrain our daily lives, as a new Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) report shows. Moving forward, governments need to ensure existing fundamental rights challenges do not worsen and vulnerable members of society do not suffer disproportionately.
    FRA took part in a virtual expert seminar on 23 July on the role of data protection authorities in the context of COVID-19 exit strategies and contact tracing apps.
    Most Europeans are worried about their data and bank details being misused by criminals and fraudsters. Two in five Europeans have been harassed face-to-face and every fifth is very worried of experiencing a terrorist attack. These findings come from the Fundamental Rights Survey, carried out by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in the European Union, North Macedonia and the United Kingdom in 2019. The results feed into the European Commission’s Security Union Strategy.
    As EU countries continue rolling out new coronavirus contact-tracing apps, the data protection and privacy risks remain high on the agenda. Amid these developments, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) renew their cooperation agreement today to further strengthen data protection across the EU. Both FRA and EDPS argue that respect for fundamental rights, including privacy and data protection, has to be centre stage to make tracing apps, or any other technology, a success.
    As governments discuss using technology to stop the spread of COVID-19, many Europeans are unwilling to share data about themselves with public and private bodies. These findings emerged from a EU Agency’s Fundamental Rights survey, carried out before the pandemic.
    Growing intolerance and attacks on people’s fundamental rights continue to erode the considerable progress achieved over the years, finds FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2020. As Europe begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic we see a worsening of existing inequalities and threats to societal cohesion.
    The 2018 edition of the Handbook on European data protection law is now also available online in Croatian.
    On 26 May, FRA presented key fundamental rights considerations emerging from the second edition of its COVID-19 Bulletin during a webinar on privacy and using technology to control the pandemic.
    Many governments are looking to technology to help monitor and track the spread of COVID-19, as a new Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) report shows. Governments’ using technology to protect public health and overcome the pandemic need to respect everyone’s fundamental rights.
    FRA took part in an online workshop on addressing data governance and privacy challenges in the fight against COVID-19.
    -
    FRA will take part in the annual closed session of the Global Privacy Assembly (GPA) as an observer.
    -
    FRA will discuss the fundamental rights considerations of using Artificial intelligence during a meeting of the European Commission’s Digital Criminal Justice Expert Group.
    Artificial intelligence and encryption will feature during a virtual meeting of the Council of the EU’s Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security (COSI).
    Remote biometric identification systems, such as facial recognition, are regularly identified as a candidate for regulation.
    The annual summer school on EU policy making organised by the Institute for European Studies (IES) and the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna is this year organised online.
    The agency’s Scientific Committee meeting will be held on 24 April via video conference.
    FRA, in cooperation with its Hungarian National Liaison Officer, will launch the Hungarian translation of its handbook on European data protection law.
    How should the EU approach to artificial intelligence and facial recognition?