christoph schmon
@tylium.bsky.social
international policy director @EFF.org | posts are mine but I share
Pinned
christoph schmon
@tylium.bsky.social
· Dec 10
Passive on Bluesky for while, but aiming to be more active in 2025. 🌅
Reposted by christoph schmon
Finally free! Alaa Abdel Fattah has been released after nearly a decade of unlawful imprisonment in Egypt.
There are many like him still imprisoned in Egypt for simply exercising their right to freedom of speech. Egypt’s government should release all those wrongfully detained.
There are many like him still imprisoned in Egypt for simply exercising their right to freedom of speech. Egypt’s government should release all those wrongfully detained.
September 23, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Finally free! Alaa Abdel Fattah has been released after nearly a decade of unlawful imprisonment in Egypt.
There are many like him still imprisoned in Egypt for simply exercising their right to freedom of speech. Egypt’s government should release all those wrongfully detained.
There are many like him still imprisoned in Egypt for simply exercising their right to freedom of speech. Egypt’s government should release all those wrongfully detained.
"This portrayal of the DSA as a speech-censorship tool doesn’t fully correspond to the reality of how the law is drafted."
Thanks to @cmaza.bsky.social for including my perspective on the U.S administration's fixation with EU regulation.
www.nationaljournal.com/s/729535/jd-... @eff.org
Thanks to @cmaza.bsky.social for including my perspective on the U.S administration's fixation with EU regulation.
www.nationaljournal.com/s/729535/jd-... @eff.org
September 15, 2025 at 11:48 AM
"This portrayal of the DSA as a speech-censorship tool doesn’t fully correspond to the reality of how the law is drafted."
Thanks to @cmaza.bsky.social for including my perspective on the U.S administration's fixation with EU regulation.
www.nationaljournal.com/s/729535/jd-... @eff.org
Thanks to @cmaza.bsky.social for including my perspective on the U.S administration's fixation with EU regulation.
www.nationaljournal.com/s/729535/jd-... @eff.org
Reposted by christoph schmon
We are supporting @bitsoffreedom.bsky.social to bring Meta's dark patterns to light: It’s not acceptable that users are steered into choices that undermine their privacy and agency.
www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2025/08/28/b... @evelynaustin.bsky.social
www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2025/08/28/b... @evelynaustin.bsky.social
Press release: Bits of Freedom initiates summary proceedings against Meta in run-up to national elections
Bits of Freedom komt op voor internetvrijheid door de online grondrechten op communicatievrijheid en privacy te beschermen.
www.bitsoffreedom.nl
August 29, 2025 at 11:25 AM
We are supporting @bitsoffreedom.bsky.social to bring Meta's dark patterns to light: It’s not acceptable that users are steered into choices that undermine their privacy and agency.
www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2025/08/28/b... @evelynaustin.bsky.social
www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2025/08/28/b... @evelynaustin.bsky.social
We are supporting @bitsoffreedom.bsky.social to bring Meta's dark patterns to light: It’s not acceptable that users are steered into choices that undermine their privacy and agency.
www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2025/08/28/b... @evelynaustin.bsky.social
www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2025/08/28/b... @evelynaustin.bsky.social
Press release: Bits of Freedom initiates summary proceedings against Meta in run-up to national elections
Bits of Freedom komt op voor internetvrijheid door de online grondrechten op communicatievrijheid en privacy te beschermen.
www.bitsoffreedom.nl
August 29, 2025 at 11:25 AM
We are supporting @bitsoffreedom.bsky.social to bring Meta's dark patterns to light: It’s not acceptable that users are steered into choices that undermine their privacy and agency.
www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2025/08/28/b... @evelynaustin.bsky.social
www.bitsoffreedom.nl/2025/08/28/b... @evelynaustin.bsky.social
Reposted by christoph schmon
“We didn’t move your data - you did. That’s on you. Hope you weren’t expecting data protection rights.” @404media.co
"We are based in the USA, and process personal data here. Because you are visiting our site and providing personal data directly to us, there is no “transfer” from an EU or UK GDPR point of view."
Meta hates this one weird trick!
www.404media.co/privacy-poli...
Meta hates this one weird trick!
www.404media.co/privacy-poli...
Privacy Policy
Your privacy is critically important to us. At Dark Mode LLC dba 404 Media, we have a few fundamental principles:
* We are thoughtful about the personal information we ask you to provide and the per...
www.404media.co
August 4, 2025 at 9:42 PM
“We didn’t move your data - you did. That’s on you. Hope you weren’t expecting data protection rights.” @404media.co
Reposted by christoph schmon
age verification is also vague and obfuscate what is planned. imagine the following poll: do you agree that to access a website, -you- will need to upload ID or consent to biometrics? or you must ID verify through a third-party just to read a bluesky PM? the results will look very much different.
August 4, 2025 at 6:12 PM
age verification is also vague and obfuscate what is planned. imagine the following poll: do you agree that to access a website, -you- will need to upload ID or consent to biometrics? or you must ID verify through a third-party just to read a bluesky PM? the results will look very much different.
Reposted by christoph schmon
OH: one mainstream #VPN provider has seen U.K. subscriptions rise ten-fold 😏 thanks to the #OnlineSafetyAct 👏
July 31, 2025 at 9:30 AM
OH: one mainstream #VPN provider has seen U.K. subscriptions rise ten-fold 😏 thanks to the #OnlineSafetyAct 👏
“We didn’t move your data - you did. That’s on you. Hope you weren’t expecting data protection rights.” @404media.co
"We are based in the USA, and process personal data here. Because you are visiting our site and providing personal data directly to us, there is no “transfer” from an EU or UK GDPR point of view."
Meta hates this one weird trick!
www.404media.co/privacy-poli...
Meta hates this one weird trick!
www.404media.co/privacy-poli...
Privacy Policy
Your privacy is critically important to us. At Dark Mode LLC dba 404 Media, we have a few fundamental principles:
* We are thoughtful about the personal information we ask you to provide and the per...
www.404media.co
August 4, 2025 at 9:42 PM
“We didn’t move your data - you did. That’s on you. Hope you weren’t expecting data protection rights.” @404media.co
Reposted by christoph schmon
#ECJ: A vehicle manufacturer cannot be exempted from its liability for an unlawful defeat device on the grounds that an EC type-approval has been granted @Volkswagen 👉 curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/Jo...
Communiqués de presse - Cour de justice de l'Union européenne
Court of Justice of the European Union
curia.europa.eu
August 1, 2025 at 9:45 AM
#ECJ: A vehicle manufacturer cannot be exempted from its liability for an unlawful defeat device on the grounds that an EC type-approval has been granted @Volkswagen 👉 curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/Jo...
The Online Safety Act isn’t working.
With over 420k people signing a petition to repeal the Online Safety Act, it’s clear that MPs need to fix this mess!
Rather than protect children, millions of adults are facing widespread censorship and threats to their privacy.
Write to your MP now ⬇️
action.openrightsgroup.org/tell-your-mp...
Rather than protect children, millions of adults are facing widespread censorship and threats to their privacy.
Write to your MP now ⬇️
action.openrightsgroup.org/tell-your-mp...
Tell your MP: The Online Safety Act isn’t working
What's the problem? The Online Safety Act has been a disaster. Rather than protect children, millions of adults are facing widespread censorship, and teenagers are having their freedom of expression r...
action.openrightsgroup.org
July 31, 2025 at 10:42 AM
The Online Safety Act isn’t working.
Reposted by christoph schmon
““As a result of new codes under the Online Safety Act coming into force on Friday, we have seen an additional 5m age checks on a daily basis, as UK-based internet users seek to access sites that are age-restricted,” said Iain Corby.” www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
UK online safety law leads to 5m extra age checks a day for pornography sites | Internet safety | The Guardian
Huge increase in online age verifications but many users turn to virtual private networks to access pornography sites
www.theguardian.com
July 30, 2025 at 6:02 PM
““As a result of new codes under the Online Safety Act coming into force on Friday, we have seen an additional 5m age checks on a daily basis, as UK-based internet users seek to access sites that are age-restricted,” said Iain Corby.” www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by christoph schmon
So you can't listen to Kneecap without either undergoing a facial scan or uploading ID documents. Please explain to me how this is not straightforward political censorship.
Spotify is now instituting face scans and ID checks ... to listen to music.
Porn was only ever the excuse. The only thing that surprises me is how quickly the government surveillance mandate has spread to absolutely every service we use.
www.404media.co/spotify-uk-a...
Porn was only ever the excuse. The only thing that surprises me is how quickly the government surveillance mandate has spread to absolutely every service we use.
www.404media.co/spotify-uk-a...
Spotify Is Forcing Users to Undergo Face Scanning to Access Explicit Content
Submit to biometric face scanning or risk your account being deleted, Spotify says, following the enactment of the UK's Online Safety Act.
www.404media.co
July 31, 2025 at 9:36 AM
So you can't listen to Kneecap without either undergoing a facial scan or uploading ID documents. Please explain to me how this is not straightforward political censorship.
There's a real danger in pretending that social media bans and age verification will make the internet a safer space for young people.
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
Just Banning Minors From Social Media Is Not Protecting Them
By publishing its guidelines under Article 28 of the Digital Services Act, the European Commission has taken a major step towards social media bans that will undermine privacy, expression, and partici...
www.eff.org
July 29, 2025 at 5:42 PM
There's a real danger in pretending that social media bans and age verification will make the internet a safer space for young people.
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
We support @wikimediafoundation.org legal challenge to the UK’s Online Safety Act.
The OSA endangers Wikipedia and the global community of volunteer contributors. It also poses a serious threat to freedom of expression and privacy online, both in the U.K. and globally.
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
The OSA endangers Wikipedia and the global community of volunteer contributors. It also poses a serious threat to freedom of expression and privacy online, both in the U.K. and globally.
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
We Support Wikimedia Foundation’s Challenge to UK’s Online Safety Act
The Electronic Frontier Foundation and ARTICLE 19 strongly support the Wikimedia Foundation’s legal challenge to the categorization regulations of the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act.The Foundation...
www.eff.org
July 23, 2025 at 12:17 PM
We support @wikimediafoundation.org legal challenge to the UK’s Online Safety Act.
The OSA endangers Wikipedia and the global community of volunteer contributors. It also poses a serious threat to freedom of expression and privacy online, both in the U.K. and globally.
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
The OSA endangers Wikipedia and the global community of volunteer contributors. It also poses a serious threat to freedom of expression and privacy online, both in the U.K. and globally.
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
No, Denmark is not planning to grant a "copyright" on physical characteristics. It's about the establishment of a right of personality (anchored in the Denmark's copyright law-ophavsretsloven), which will prohibit the unauthorized use of one's own appearance (+voice) by means of AI.
Denmark to tackle deepfakes by giving people copyright to their own features
Denmark to tackle deepfakes by giving people copyright to their own features
Amendment to law will strengthen protection against digital imitations of people’s identities, government says
The Danish government is to clamp down on the creation and dissemination of AI-generated deepfakes by changing copyright law to ensure that everybody has the right to their own body, facial features and voice.
The Danish government said on Thursday it would strengthen protection against digital imitations of people’s identities with what it believes to be the first law of its kind in Europe. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
June 27, 2025 at 10:30 AM
No, Denmark is not planning to grant a "copyright" on physical characteristics. It's about the establishment of a right of personality (anchored in the Denmark's copyright law-ophavsretsloven), which will prohibit the unauthorized use of one's own appearance (+voice) by means of AI.
Reposted by christoph schmon
📣A VICTORY FOR PERSONAL PRIVACY!📣
In our case against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and DOGE, A NY federal district court judge has granted a preliminary injunction. (1/6)
In our case against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and DOGE, A NY federal district court judge has granted a preliminary injunction. (1/6)
Privacy Victory! Judge Grants Preliminary Injunction in OPM/DOGE Lawsuit
NEW YORK–In a victory for personal privacy, a New York federal district court judge today granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) disc...
www.eff.org
June 9, 2025 at 8:13 PM
📣A VICTORY FOR PERSONAL PRIVACY!📣
In our case against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and DOGE, A NY federal district court judge has granted a preliminary injunction. (1/6)
In our case against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and DOGE, A NY federal district court judge has granted a preliminary injunction. (1/6)
Advocate General at the Court of Justice considers that, by prohibiting or restricting access to LGBTI content, Hungary infringed EU law.
curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/...
curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/...
curia.europa.eu
June 5, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Advocate General at the Court of Justice considers that, by prohibiting or restricting access to LGBTI content, Hungary infringed EU law.
curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/...
curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/...
Interested in how @eff.org is saving the internet in Europe? Check out this blog post series about:
-How EFF works in Europe
-Defending Free Expression
-Defending Privacy and Fighting Surveillance
-Fostering Choice, Competition and the Right to Innovate
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
-How EFF works in Europe
-Defending Free Expression
-Defending Privacy and Fighting Surveillance
-Fostering Choice, Competition and the Right to Innovate
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
Saving the Internet in Europe: How EFF Works in Europe
This is the first instalment in a four-part blog series documenting EFF's work in Europe. You can read additional posts here: Saving the Internet in Europe: Defending Free ExpressionSaving the Interne...
www.eff.org
March 27, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Interested in how @eff.org is saving the internet in Europe? Check out this blog post series about:
-How EFF works in Europe
-Defending Free Expression
-Defending Privacy and Fighting Surveillance
-Fostering Choice, Competition and the Right to Innovate
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
-How EFF works in Europe
-Defending Free Expression
-Defending Privacy and Fighting Surveillance
-Fostering Choice, Competition and the Right to Innovate
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
Reposted by christoph schmon
Market concentration and monopoly power among internet companies and internet access impacts many EFF issues. That’s why we’re working in Europe to ensure that fairness in digital markets remains rooted in choice, competition, and the right to innovate eff.org/deeplinks/20...
Saving the Internet in Europe: Fostering Choice, Competition and the Right to Innovate
This post is part four and the final part in a series of posts about EFF’s work in Europe. Read about how and why we work in Europe here. EFF’s mission is to ensure that technology supports freedom, j...
eff.org
March 25, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Market concentration and monopoly power among internet companies and internet access impacts many EFF issues. That’s why we’re working in Europe to ensure that fairness in digital markets remains rooted in choice, competition, and the right to innovate eff.org/deeplinks/20...
Reposted by christoph schmon
BREAKING: We are suing DOGE and the Office of Personnel Management to stop the brazen and illegal data sharing of federal employee data with the “government efficiency” group.
EFF Sues DOGE and the Office of Personnel Management to Halt Ransacking of Federal Data
EFF and a coalition of privacy defenders have filed a lawsuit today asking a federal court to block Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing the private information of mil...
www.eff.org
February 11, 2025 at 11:45 PM
BREAKING: We are suing DOGE and the Office of Personnel Management to stop the brazen and illegal data sharing of federal employee data with the “government efficiency” group.
🚨 The European Commission's 2025 Work Programme has been published. It sets the priorities and policies shaping the EU’s direction next year.
I took a look at EU #techpolicy so you don't have to: /
I took a look at EU #techpolicy so you don't have to: /
February 12, 2025 at 12:09 PM
🚨 The European Commission's 2025 Work Programme has been published. It sets the priorities and policies shaping the EU’s direction next year.
I took a look at EU #techpolicy so you don't have to: /
I took a look at EU #techpolicy so you don't have to: /
This is a serious and deeply concerning development that UK groups warned about for a long time. These orders lack court approval, undermine the security of users and will lead to indiscriminate surveillance: a clear violation of fundamental rights.
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
U.K. orders Apple to let it spy on users’ encrypted accounts
Secret order requires blanket access to protected cloud backups around the world, which if implemented would undermine Apple’s privacy pledge to its users.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 7, 2025 at 6:59 PM
This is a serious and deeply concerning development that UK groups warned about for a long time. These orders lack court approval, undermine the security of users and will lead to indiscriminate surveillance: a clear violation of fundamental rights.
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...
Reposted by christoph schmon
This change will be in the US. Here's what is happening to regulate the platforms in the EU. bsky.app/profile/tyli...
As the EU seeks to regulate the world’s largest tech companies, the world is taking notice. EU Tech Regulation: 2024 in Review
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...
EU Tech Regulation—Good Intentions, Unclear Consequences: 2024 in Review
For a decade, the EU has served as the regulatory frontrunner for online services and new technology. Over the past two EU mandates (terms), the EU Commission brought down many regulations covering al...
www.eff.org
January 8, 2025 at 11:09 PM
This change will be in the US. Here's what is happening to regulate the platforms in the EU. bsky.app/profile/tyli...