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Aaaand that's a wrap on 2025 🙃

From eVisas and crime-predicting tech to Stalker Ads and the Online Safety Act, ORG has fought for digital rights all the way.

With Digital ID, encryption battles and more ahead, it's time for a recap.

Check out #ORG2025 ⬇️

www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/org-end...
ORG End of Year Review 2025
Digital rights in 2025 From age verification and digital ID to crime-predicting tech and attacks on migrants’ digital rights, this year we had to fight harder than ever against Big tech and…
www.openrightsgroup.org
December 23, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Give yourself the gift that keeps on giving this Xmas 🎄

Subscribe to ORG's newsletter!

We'll keep you updated on everything that's going on. From campaign updates to events and how to get involved, we've got you covered.

Sign up now ⬇️

#DigitalRights

action.openrightsgroup.org/sign-up-for-...
Hear the latest from ORG
Sign up for email updates from ORG
action.openrightsgroup.org
December 22, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Have a shit Christmas 💩

Or don't. Take a shot at winning a signed copy of Enshittification by Cory Doctorow instead 🎁

Enter the competition by 5 January ⬇️

action.openrightsgroup.org/win-copy-ens...
Win a copy of Enshittification signed by Cory Doctorow
Enter the Competition!
action.openrightsgroup.org
December 21, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Reposted by Open Rights Group
EXCLUSIVE

The Metropolitan police have been using powers they no longer have to crack down on pro-Palestine protests, according to legal experts.

Liberty Investigates‘ latest story with @theguardian.com

@pscupdates.bsky.social
@ijan-us.bsky.social

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Met using outdated powers to police pro-Palestine protests, say legal experts
Lawyers argue ‘cumulative disruption’ regulations were quashed in May and should therefore not be used
www.theguardian.com
December 20, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Digital rights are human rights ✊

ORG fights for a fair digital environment where tech supports justice, equality and freedom.

As a grassroots organisation, we rely on your support to do whatever it takes to protect your rights.

Donate if you can ⬇️
Make a one-off donation
Open Rights Group is the UK’s largest grassroots digital rights campaigning organisation. We rely on people like you who care about protecting everyone’s rights to privacy and free speech online.
action.openrightsgroup.org
December 20, 2025 at 12:21 PM
Reposted by Open Rights Group
In case you missed it: Home Secretary ordered to allow man to return to UK after telling airline not to fly him and cancelling his eVisa | Sonia Lenegan
Home Secretary ordered to allow man to return to UK after telling airline not to fly him and cancelling his eVisa - Free Movement
This is one of those real train wrecks from the Home Office, where you may want to make yourself a large cup of coffee and read through the whole judgment. It
freemovement.org.uk
December 19, 2025 at 12:31 PM
As we wind down on our 20th year, why not catch up on Cory Doctorow in conversation with @mariafarrell.bsky.social?

Hear about the 'Internet dimension' of policy-making, copyright in the age of AI and how to fight for digital rights. Plus much more!

Watch now 📺

www.youtube.com/live/M9H2An_...
ORG at 20: Cory Doctorow in conversation with Maria Farrell
YouTube video by OpenRightsGroup
www.youtube.com
December 19, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Digital ID could lead to “the worst data breach in UK government history”.

Despite fierce opposition, the government is embarking on a digital surveillance infrastructure that has fundamental cybersecurity holes in its foundations.

We must say #NotoDigitalID.

www.itv.com/news/2025-12...
www.itv.com
December 18, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Encryption isn't hostile. It's a bedrock of our cybersecurity 🔐

The UK's national security laws join a long line of attempts to frame encrypted messaging as something to be broken into pieces.

Without it, we're more open to threats from hackers and criminals.

www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-priv...
Creating apps like Signal or WhatsApp could be 'hostile activity,' claims UK watchdog
It's the latest blow to encryption in the UK
www.techradar.com
December 18, 2025 at 10:18 AM
"The Home Office failed to assess the risks that a digital-only [eVisa] scheme brings, particularly for those who are vulnerable, older, or disabled. It is also misleading in its assessment of the scheme as digital by default.”

🗣️ ORG's @sarahalsherif.bsky.social

www.theregister.com/2025/12/12/i...
GDPR failures in Home Office eVisa rollout in spotlight
: Rights groups say digital-only record is leaking data and courting trouble
www.theregister.com
December 17, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Reposted by Open Rights Group
🚨 noyb has filed complaints against #TikTok and #Grindr. As it turns out, TikTok even tracks you while you're using other apps. For example, TikTok was able to track a person’s Grindr usage - which allows it to draw conclusions about his sexual orientation and sex life

👉 noyb.eu/en/tiktok-un...
TikTok unlawfully tracks your shopping habits – and your use of dating apps
TikTok tracks its users even if they're using other apps. The video platform therefore also knows what dating app you use
noyb.eu
December 17, 2025 at 7:25 AM
Reposted by Open Rights Group
A new report presents findings from 'Digitising identity: navigating the digital immigration system and migrant experiences' and makes recommendations to the Home Office.

@deryaozkul.bsky.social @migrantvoice.bsky.social @openrightsgroup.org

digitalgood.net/dg-outputs/e...
Exclusion by design: digital identification and the hostile environment for migrants - ESRC Digital Good Network
How has the digitalisation of immigration status affected migrants in the UK? This report presents findings from the Digitising identity: navigating the digital immigration system […]
digitalgood.net
December 16, 2025 at 2:01 PM
Fancy a digital chastity belt?

The government wants Apple and Google to stop you from taking or sending pics of your bits.

Intrusive scanning tech on your phone would block nudes unless you verify your age with biometrics or official ID.

It's creepy mission creep.

arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
UK to “encourage” Apple and Google to put nudity-blocking systems on phones
Government seeks “nudity-detection algorithms” in iOS and Android, report says.
arstechnica.com
December 16, 2025 at 11:58 AM
The botched eVisa scheme needs to be investigated.

The Home Office failed to assess the risks of a digital-only scheme. So migrants have experienced widespread data errors, inaccessible design and technical failures.

Read about our open letter to the ICO ⬇️

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
Canadian citizen’s personal details shared with Russian woman in eVisa data breach
Migrant rights groups call on the data watchdog to investigate ‘unresolved’ problems with eVisa rollout
www.independent.co.uk
December 16, 2025 at 10:08 AM
The Online Safety Act is a mess. MPs are debating a petition for its repeal today.

ORG calls for a rights-based approach:

Limit its scope to minimise threats to free expression and regulate age verification providers to protect privacy.

Read our briefing ⬇️

www.openrightsgroup.org/publications...
Briefing: Online Safety Act Parliamentary Petition Debate
It might seem strange to some MPs that anyone could be opposed to ‘Online Safety’.
www.openrightsgroup.org
December 15, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Open Rights Group
Ahead of this afternoon's Westminster Hall debate on the UK’s Online Safety Act, EFF, Open Rights Group, Big Brother Watch, and Index on Censorship wrote to politicians urging them to listen to their constituents and repeal the legislation. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
EFF, Open Rights Group, Big Brother Watch, and Index on Censorship
Ahead of today's Parliamentary petition debate on the Online Safety Act, EFF joined Open Rights Group, Big Brother Watch, and Index on Censorship in sending a briefing to UK politicians urging them
www.eff.org
December 15, 2025 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Open Rights Group
A petition to repeal the UK’s Online Safety Act will be debated in Parliament at 4:30pm today. As MPs gather to debate it, we urge the government to rethink breaking end-to-end encryption which endangers journalism at home and around the world:
www.indexoncensorship.org/2025/12/inve...
December 15, 2025 at 3:51 PM
The Home Office has failed migrants.

The eVisa scheme is founded on an incomplete and misleading Data Protection Impact Assessment, meaning foreseeable risks were not mitigated.

19 civil society groups call on the ICO to investigate.

Read our open letter ⬇️

www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releas...
Civil society urges the ICO to investigate the Home Office’s failing eVisa system
19 civil society organisations have called on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to formally investigate data protection breaches and accessibility issues arising as a result of the Home…
www.openrightsgroup.org
December 15, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Reposted by Open Rights Group
Online age verification isn't the same as a quick ID flash: it's surveillance. These systems collect your data and undermine your ability to anonymously access and discuss sensitive topics online. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Why Isn’t Online Age Verification Just Like Showing Your ID In Person?
This blog also appears in our Age Verification Resource Hub: our one-stop shop for users seeking to understand what age-gating laws actually do, what’s at stake, how to protect yourself, and why EFF
www.eff.org
December 13, 2025 at 6:02 PM
The Online Safety Act ushered in an age verification market without regulating providers.

Our open letter calls for this to be corrected ahead of tomorrow's debate. We're supported by the Age Verification Providers Association and 600+ members of the public.

www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releas...
Online Safety Act: Age assurance industry must be regulated
Open Rights Group has written to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Liz Kendall MP calling for regulation of age assurance providers operating under the Online Safety Act.
www.openrightsgroup.org
December 14, 2025 at 12:28 PM
The Online Safety Act returns to Parliament.

It has enabled iffy age-assurance providers, wrongly censored content and shuttered small sites while doing nothing to tackle the dominance of major platforms.

Tell your MP: attend the debate on 15 December ⬇️

action.openrightsgroup.org/tell-your-mp...
Tell your MP to attend the debate on the Online Safety Act
action.openrightsgroup.org
December 13, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Teens “would lose the freedom to enjoy games and social interaction in the name of safety.”

An amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill could block under 16s from online games where they can interact or talk with other players.

ORG’s James Baker ⬇️

www.libdemvoice.org/banning-chil...
Banning children from online games, and spying on every device: Why we must oppose Baroness Benjamin’s attack on liberty
Shortly, families across the country will gather to celebrate Christmas. Elves will have been busy making presents for Children, and Santa will be loading his sack. Parents will look forward to the jo...
www.libdemvoice.org
December 13, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Reposted by Open Rights Group
LGBTQ+ ​&​ abortion-rights groups say Meta is wiping out their accounts in a massive censorship sweep

One of the biggest waves of censorship the platforms have ever seen⚠️📵

https://www.attitude.co.uk/news/world/meta-accused-mass-censorship-lgbtq-abortion-accounts-506366/
LGBTQ+ and abortion organisations claim Meta is silencing their accounts in huge censorship sweep
The pattern of takedowns has been described by one campaigner as “one of the biggest waves of censorship” on Meta’s platforms.
www.attitude.co.uk
December 13, 2025 at 11:58 AM
The eVisa system is beset with problems.

New research highlights the human cost of these hostile digital systems that are flawed by design.

Root and branch reform is needed as the government intends to rollout digital ID to everyone in the UK.

Read more ⬇️

www.computerweekly.com/news/3666361...
Error-prone eVisa system a precursor of digital ID | Computer Weekly
Research highlights how the Home Office’s electronic visa system has used migrants as a ‘testing ground’ for the government’s wider digital ID ambitions.
www.computerweekly.com
December 13, 2025 at 11:22 AM
COMPETITION TIME ⏰

We're giving away a signed copy of Enshittification by Cory Doctorow.

Be in it with a chance to win it. Enter by 5 January ⬇️

action.openrightsgroup.org/win-copy-ens...
Win a copy of Enshittification signed by Cory Doctorow
Enter the Competition!
action.openrightsgroup.org
December 12, 2025 at 3:30 PM