Information Policy

Tackling the need for global standards to protect privacy and combat cybercrime: Council of Europe at the 2016 Internet Governance Forum

The protection of privacy and personal data continue to face unprecedented threats – linked to mass surveillance and other risks. Cybercrime is increasing as the internet and communication technology develop across borders.

The role of social media on influencing elections dominates a Meeting of the EU Media Literacy Working Group

The EU Media Literacy Expert Group met in Brussels in November to discuss innovations in Media Literacy. IREX Europe’s Deputy Director Flora Graioni was invited to attend. (@EU_MedLit, @MediaEu, #EUML16). 90 participants from 28 Member States, 4 candidate countries, UNESCO, the Council of Europe and 20 European media professional associations and civil society networks attended. More information about the group can be found here, as well as most of the presentations shown during the meeting. One of the meeting’s highlights was when Facebook and Google representatives were questioned on how they will react to allegations that their social media sites are increasingly sources of misinformation with real potential to affect the democratic future of States.

Great firewall of China: Facebook creates censorship tool in bid to access the country's 700MILLION internet users

Facebook has quietly developed a censorship tool that could persuade China to allow the world's biggest social media network to re-enter the world's largest Internet user base with 700million people.

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Russia banned LinkedIn on Thursday, after Microsoft-owned social network failed to comply with the a 2014 law regarding Russian user data collection. The ban was exacted by Roskomnadzor, the government’s communications regulation agency.

Roskomnazdor issued a statement, in Russian, regarding the decision. It cited the original Moscow District Court decision from August to block LinkedIn, as well as the decision made on November 10 in a Moscow City Court, to uphold that decision, according to TechCrunch.

Brussels, 23 November 2016 –  With media independence a hot topic across Europe and around the world, European publishers today called on the Juncker Commission to ensure that future “ePrivacy” rules do not needlessly deprive them of a critical revenue stream as they manage the difficult transitional to digital. The publishers are concerned that the current review of the ePrivacy Directive (Directive 2002/58/EC, also known as the ‘Cookie Directive’), may lead to new constraints on low-risk data processing for advertising purposes, including rules that would in effect force them to provide content for free. Over 90 European publishers, brought together by 26 European national Interactive Advertising Bureaus (IABs), IAB Europe and leading European publisher associations EPC (European Publishers Council), NME (News Media Europe), EMMA (European Magazine Media Association) and ENPA (European Newspaper Publishers’ Association), co-signed a letter to Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip and Commissioner Günther Oettinger highlighting their concerns.

Russia Bans LinkedIn, Furthering Concerns About Internet Freedom

Russia banned LinkedIn on Thursday, after Microsoft-owned social network failed to comply with the a 2014 law regarding Russian user data collection. The ban was exacted by Roskomnadzor, the government’s communications regulation agency.

Roskomnazdor issued a statement, in Russian, regarding the decision. It cited the original Moscow District Court decision from August to block LinkedIn, as well as the decision made on November 10 in a Moscow City Court, to uphold that decision, according to TechCrunch.

European publishers urge European Commission to recognise importance of digital advertising in review of the ePrivacy Directive

Brussels, 23 November 2016 –  With media independence a hot topic across Europe and around the world, European publishers today called on the Juncker Commission to ensure that future “ePrivacy” rules do not needlessly deprive them of a critical revenue stream as they manage the difficult transitional to digital. The publishers are concerned that the current review of the ePrivacy Directive (Directive 2002/58/EC, also known as the ‘Cookie Directive’), may lead to new constraints on low-risk data processing for advertising purposes, including rules that would in effect force them to provide content for free. Over 90 European publishers, brought together by 26 European national Interactive Advertising Bureaus (IABs), IAB Europe and leading European publisher associations EPC (European Publishers Council), NME (News Media Europe), EMMA (European Magazine Media Association) and ENPA (European Newspaper Publishers’ Association), co-signed a letter to Commission Vice-President Andrus Ansip and Commissioner Günther Oettinger highlighting their concerns.