
You are currently browsing EDRi's old website. Our new website is available at https://edri.org


Subscribe to the bi-weekly newsletter about digital civil rights in Europe.
This article is also available in:
Deutsch: Amesys' Mittäterschaft bei Folterungen: Kontrolle des Exports von Üb...
The Paris Court Prosecutor decided on 21 May 2012 to probe the Amesys company, a BULL’s subsidiary, over complicity of torture in Libya under Kadhafi.
This article is also available in:
Deutsch: Zwei Jahre Stockholm Programm: Europa auf dem Weg zu einer elektronisc...
It has been two years now since the Stockholm Programme - a 5-year plan for Justice and Home Affairs - was adopted. On 24 November 2011, an experts' and activists' round table, organised in the European Parliament, raised the question whether Europe was on its way to an e-Fortress.
This article is also available in:
Deutsch: Deutsche Polizei soll Trojaner für Online-Durchsuchungen eingesetzt h...
According to EDRi-member Chaos Computer Club (CCC), the German government has been using a backdoor Trojan, a spyware that can retrieve private data, and also offers a remote control for uploading and executing other arbitrary programs.
CCC has reverse engineered and analysed the respective programme and has concluded that the Trojan can receive uploads of arbitrary programs from the Internet and execute them remotely and that the activation of the computer's hardware, like the microp
This article is also available in:
Deutsch: Computerkriminalität: EDRi referiert im Innenausschuss des EP
On 4 October 2011, European Digital Rights, as well as EDRi Member Chaos Computer Club (Germany), made presentations to the Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) of the European Parliament on the new draft Directive on Attacks Against Computer Systems.
This article is also available in:
Deutsch: Das neue Windows 8 könnte freie Betriebssysteme blockieren
The hardware certified for the new 64 bit operating system from Microsoft (Windows 8) will have to use the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) with security measures that would not allow installing of other operating systems, such as GNU/Linux.
The UEFI firmware specifications might require next-generation PC firmware to only boot an image signed by a key chain rooted in keys built into the PC.
This article is also available in:
Deutsch: ENDitorial: Missbrauch der irischen Polizeidatenbanken
In 2003, the then Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, stated that he "knew that journalists were bribing gardaí (police)". This was said in the context of proposed legislation which would create a crime of leaking information.
This article is also available in:
Deutsch: DigiNotar-Panne führt zu schwerwiegenden Sicherheitsbedenken
A breach in the computer systems of Dutch certificate company Diginotar led to grave concerns regarding the security of internet users in Iran and Dutch government communications. On 2 September 2011, the Dutch government denounced their trust in certificates issued by DigiNotar after the discovery of fraudulent certificates. It advised Dutch citizens not to log in on websites using these certificates, until the certificates are replaced.
This article is also available in:
Deutsch: Chip- und PIN-System bewiesenermaßen fehlerhaft
According to a research performed by a group of experts from the Computer Laboratory, of Cambridge University, the Chip and PIN system is flawed, allowing criminals to use stolen credit and debit cards, without knowing the correct PIN.
The thieves can easily create a device to modify and intercept communications between a card and a point-of-sale terminal, and making the terminal believe the PIN was correctly verified when actually any PIN could be introduced and the transaction would be accepted.
"The flaw is that when you put a card into a terminal, a negotiation takes place about how the cardholder should be authen