Open Rights Group
This year, ORG published a report into the canvassing apps used by UK Political Parties.
In the rush for a competitive advantage, the Parties are cutting corners with data protection and voter privacy may be put at risk of commercial exploitation.
Read more ⬇️
#dataprotection #gdpr #privacy #data #ukpolitics #ukpol #election #localelection
Open Rights Group
With the UK Local Elections tomorrow, we ask how voter data is used on the campaign trail.
Behind door knocks and leaflet drops, data is the driving force in systems that profile, segment and target voters.
So, how much do they know about you?
Read more in our latest blog ⬇️
https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/what-do-political-parties-really-know-about-you/
#dataprotection #gdpr #privacy #data #ukpolitics #ukpol #election #localelection
Open Rights Group
There's a Data Arms Race to win elections.
Data paints a picture of who we are, our values, our interests. This is used to predict how likely we are to vote and who for.
Political Parties use these profiles to tailor messaging and target resources in ways that can pollute the democratic process.
#dataprotection #gdpr #privacy #data #ukpolitics #ukpol #election #localelection
Open Rights Group
Voters still have power over their data. But rights must be given effect.
When people used our tools to make a Subject Access Request or opt-out of profiling, no UK Political Party performed well.
Respecting voter privacy must be a key part of rebuilding trust and protecting electoral integrity.
#dataprotection #gdpr #privacy #data #ukpolitics #ukpol #election #localelection
Open Rights Group
All UK Parties rely on international companies for their digital campaigning infrastructure.
Labour is particularly close with Experian – a credit reference agency with extraordinary powers to harvest personal data.
The lack of transparency leaves us with questions about the lawfulness of how data is separated and shared.
#dataprotection #gdpr #privacy #data #ukpolitics #ukpol #election #localelection
Open Rights Group
While profiling by race has declined, voters are still profiled using wealth and income indicators, plus data of who voted in past elections.
If you're scored as unlikely to vote, you probably won't be contacted at all.
Such profiling leads to a vicious cycle of disenfranchisement rooted in class.
#dataprotection #gdpr #privacy #data #ukpolitics #ukpol #election #localelection
Open Rights Group
With over 1600 pages of guidance on Online Safety duties, Ofcom (UK) has dealt a sucker punch to small blogs, forums and fedi instances.
Onerous duties with the threat of fines has led to many sites shutting down already.
Only the largest companies that engineer harms can realistically comply.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/apr/24/ofcom-rules-protect-keep-children-safe-online
#onlinesafetyact #ofcom #onlinesafety #netplurality #freedomofexpression #fediverse #mastodon #ukpolitics #ukpol
Open Rights Group
Meta harvests personal data to track users' behaviour and make assumptions about them, so it can sell targeted adverts.
Surveillance-based advertising conceals a predatory marketplace behind a facade of personalisation.
This is being weaponised to deceive, divide and inflict harm, simply by disguising criminal adverts behind harmless-looking pages.
#meta #Facebook #dataprotection #data #privacy #gdpr #adtech #advertising #surveillancecapitalism #migrants #ukpolitics #ukpol
Open Rights Group
ORG's report shows that Facebook pages disguised as gaming communities are being used to target migrants with illegal services.
These findings expose a stark reality:
🔴 Even after public scandal and media scrutiny, Meta's systems are still enabling fraudsters to prey on migrants.
#meta #facebook #dataprotection #privacy #data #adtech #gdpr #data #advertising #surveillancecapitalism #migrants #ukpolitics #ukpol
Open Rights Group
NEW: ORG investigation reveals Meta enables vulnerable people to be targeted with disinformation and fraudulent ads.
With ads offering fake identity documents still running on Facebook, Meta is profiting from the global migrant crisis.
Read more about our report on Meta's surveillance capitalism advertising model ⬇️
https://www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releases/new-report-how-meta-is-monetising-the-migrant-crisis/
#meta #facebook #dataprotection #adtech #privacy #gdpr #data #advertising #surveillancecapitalism #migrants #ukpolitics #ukpol
Open Rights Group
BREAKING: The UK government's attempt hold the Apple encryption case entirely in secret has been REJECTED.
ORG, Big Brother Watch and Index on Censorship made a submission to the court arguing for open justice.
In a win for privacy rights, the court agrees.
It said it didn't accept “that the revelation of the bare details of the case would be damaging to the public interest or prejudicial to national security”.
Open Rights Group
Is the UK government building an ID system by stealth with the gov.uk wallet?
Companies in the digtial ID sector think so.
Creating a portal that all our interactions with government have to go through could evolve into national identity database with considerable implications for our privacy.
Open Rights Group
NEW: The UK government has published its Cyber Security Bill and there are glaring holes.
Missing:
🔴 Protections for encryption.
🔴 Reduction of our dependence on US corporations for vital UK government infrastructure, such as through open source software.
Read our response ⬇️
https://www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releases/org-response-to-cyber-security-bill/
#cybersecurity #cybersecuritybill #security #encryption #opensource #ukpolitics #ukpol
Open Rights Group
Meta has admitted that users have the right opt-out of stalker ads. Now what for our data rights?
Join our webinar to explore the impact of
Tanya O'Carroll's case against Meta.
🗓️ Wed 16 April
🕕 6–7.30pm BST
📍 Zoom
Register Now ➡️ https://www.openrightsgroup.org/events/webinar-taking-on-meta-what-next-for-our-data-stalker-ads/
#meta #dataprotection #gdpr #surveillanceadvertising #surveillancecapitalism #adtech #privacy #facebook
Open Rights Group
Four years ago, human rights campaigner Tanya O’Carroll took on social media giant Meta when they refused to stop collecting and processing her personal data for targeted advertising.
In March 2025, Meta settled and agreed to honour O’Carroll’s right to object.
Now it's your turn to opt-out.
Use our tool to #StopStalkerAds (UK residents) ⬇️
https://action.openrightsgroup.org/meta-opt-out
#meta #facebook #instagram #threads #dataprotection #gdpr #privacy #surveillanceadvertising #surveillancecapitalism #adtech
Open Rights Group
What happens encrypted, stays encrypted… unless you add the world press to the chat 🤡
How to #PracticeSafeText:
1️⃣ Use end-to-end encryption.
2️⃣ Check your contacts.
FAO: The US Administration.
#e2ee #encryption #privacy #security #uspolitics #signal #trump #hegseth #theatlantic #uspol
Open Rights Group
📣 📣 ✊ Tanya O’Carrol WINS against #Meta:
Meta affirms right to OPT OUT of surveillance advertising, concedes in legal case!
Another blow to the unethical and unfair business models of Meta, Google and X: targeted ads and profiling are NOT something you must simply tolerate.
Open Rights Group
“The Online Safety Act [UK] places onerous duties on small websites and blogs that may lead them to close or geoblock UK users rather than risk penalties. The closure of small sites will not keep children safe but will benefit bigger sites, including Facebook and X, who are laying waste to content moderation on their platforms."
The UK government can exempt small, safe websites to protect #netplurality.
🗣️ ORG's @JamesBaker
Open Rights Group
The UK Online Safety Act comes into effect today.
Its onerous duties may cause many small sites, blogs and fedi instances to shut down or geoblock UK users when faced with potential fines and penalties.
This won't keep children safe. It'll benefit large platforms like Facebook and X that are laying waste to content moderation.
https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/14/online_safety_act/
#OnlineSafety #onlinesafetyact #ukpolitics #ofcom #netplurality #fediverse #mastodon #activitypub #ukpol
Open Rights Group
Under the UK Online Safety Act, small blogs, forums and fedi instances are faced with disproportionate requirements to:
⚫️ Check if they have UK users
⚫️ Do a risk assessment on whether kids might access the content, or if CSAM or terrorist material might be posted in the comments
⚫️ Put themselves at the risk of fines, and even prison sentences, if they fail to comply with Ofcom’s future directives
#fediverse #onlinesafetyact #ofcom #netplurality #mastodon #onlinesafety #tech
We fight for digital rights (UK). Join us. 🧡#privacy #freespeech #surveillance #censorship #dataprotection
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