Programme
(08:30-16:00 – Civil society only – non-NGO by invitation only)
8:30 Coffee & Welcome
09:00-10:30 Opening Session: Demystifing big data
Moderation: Joe McNamee (EDRi)
Speakers: Anna Fielder (PI), Vera Franz (OSF), Sebastian Schweda (Amnesty International)
Big data has become the biggest buzzword of 2014. Researchers in a variety of fields have started analysing ever larger data sets. While this “big data” can be used for the social good, there are also major concerns that such analysis could usher in a new wave of medical and social inequality and discrimination. Technological advances in data mining coupled with ongoing increases in computing power and data storage capacity have huge consequences on profiling techniques available to businesses. At the same time, EU surveillance measures such as the mass retention of telecommunications or air passenger data aim essentially the same thing: taking massive volumes of data and finding relationships within them without having to manually sort through it, identifying “non-standard behaviour” and treat this as suspicious. What are the challenges for society with regard to surveillance and fundamental rights? What is Europe’s role in all this and how can civil society address these challenges?
10:30-11:00 Coffee Break
11:00-12:45 Workshop 1 – PNR and data retention: Identifying consequences, challenges and takeaways + Introduction to EU surveillance (Access) followed by a roundtable discussion
Co-moderation of round-table: Elizabeth Knight (ORG) and Diego Naranjo (EDRi)
Despite the CJEU ruling which annulled the Data Retention Directive in April 2014, there are Member States that have not yet changed their legislation accordingly. In fact, new ways to obtain or retain personal data from citizens have been deployed or are being planned at this very moment. The EU PNR (Passenger Name Record) proposal and agreements as well as attempts to have a new Data Retention Directive will be discussed during this workshop.
This workshop will explore:
• lessons learned from how civil society mobilised citizens both on the national and on the EU levels, and litigation that was successful in the past;
• the consequences of the CJEU decision;
• the challenges that remain in ensuring member states comply with that decision; and
• enforcement mechanisms available at the EU level and how citizens can challenge the (mis)implementation of EU law.
11:00-12:45 Roundtable: Transatlantic surveillance: Transatlantic privacy too?
Co-moderation: Rocco Bellanova (PRIO/USL-B) & Jay Stanley (ACLU)
Input from: Ralf Bendrath (EP), Hielke Hijmans (VUB & EDPS), Ton Siedsma (BoF), Julia Horwitz (EPIC)
The international, and specifically transatlantic, scope of several surveillance practices has been at the forefront of political and social discussions in the last year. It is now time to take stock of the main insight gained so far, and discuss what is already, and what should be there, to ensure the functioning of transatlantic privacy and data protection. The roundtable will start with short interventions providing an overview of the main issues, and solutions, at the horizons. This will hopefully trigger a discussion on how to identify the most compelling challenges, and eventually sketch concrete strategies.
12:45-14:00 Lunch (sandwiches and coffee)
14:00-15:30 Workshop 2 – PNR and data retention: Next steps – impact litigation and campaigning
Co-moderation: Sarah St.Vincent (CDT), Elizabeth Knight (ORG)
Building on the discussions in WS1, this session will be forward looking and will identify future action points. It will start by considering what organisations are doing to challenge data retention legislation in their countries and the arguments they are raising.
The workshop will address:
• how organisations can share information in future;
• how can we increase strategic litigation;
• how to persuade the Commission to act; and
• plans for campaign activity.
14.00-15:30 Hackers in Politics
Moderation: Fukami (CCC)
Input from: Meredith L. Patterson (Upstanding Hackers), Amelia Andersdotter (Ex-MEP), Seda Gürses (NYU)
Discussion about technology policy, based on actual developments (export controls, NIS etc.), and the big drift between civil society groups, institutions and hackers.
15:30-16:00 Coffee Break
16:00-17:30 Workshop: Surveillance Studies meet Privacy Advocates
Speed-dating workshop: surveillance studies researchers meet privacy advocates and NGOs (with the support of FP7 IRISS: http://irissproject.eu)
The workshop will facilitate the exchange between researchers working in the field of Surveillance Studies and advocates and NGOs working on privacy. Both groups are important actors, in relation to the issues raised by Big Data and privacy and surveillance in general. The format of the workshop is simple and divided into 2 moments. First, the participants will split into groups of maximum 4 people (2 researchers and 2 advocates) and will briefly introduce themselves by answering 3 questions: (i) what is your current research/advocacy activity? (ii) what do you expect from privacy advocates/surveillance studies? (iii) what is your next project? Then, participants will gather together again, and they will present in their own words what they have retained of their counterpart and what they find particularly interesting.
17:30-18:00 Closing session and beers