Welcome back to the Centre for Democracy & Technology Europe’s Tech Policy Brief! This edition covers the most pressing technology and internet policy issues under debate in Europe and gives CDT’s perspective on the impact to digital rights.
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👁️ Security and Surveillance
Defending Encryption in the EU CSA Regulation
As part of the Steering Committee the Global Encryption Coalition (GEC), CDT jointly published a response to the Council of the EU’s position of the European CSA Regulation (colloquially known as “Chat Control”). The GEC celebrated the most recent proposal version which more strongly protects end-to-end encryption, a technical measure which preserves the confidentiality of online communications. Notably, the agreed position removes the mandatory detection obligations that would require providers to indiscriminately scan personal communications for child sexual abuse material, including in end-to-end encrypted platforms. While Council’s position is a strong step in the right direction for safeguarding encryption, the EU trilogue negotiations are now underway. Now, the European Commission, European Parliament, and the Council must negotiate a unified text which balances safeguarding strong encryption measures that maintain the confidentiality of digital communications, including those of young people and survivors.
Recommended read: Tech Crunch, Critics pan spyware maker NSO’s transparency claims amid its push to enter US market
💬 Online Expression & Civic Space
Harmonising Legal Frameworks to Address Tech-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence
CDT Europe started off 2026 with the publication of an analysis of the legislative framework governing tech-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), the first in a newly launched series of papers on the issue. At the international and EU level, several regulations, due diligence obligations and legal interpretations exist that are relevant to addressing TFGBV. A broad theme across these frameworks is the recognition that TFGBV is a continuation of offline gender-based violence and that it can take many forms. In this paper, Secretary-General Asha Allen outlines the existing regulatory frameworks aimed at addressing TFGBV and potential methods of harmonisations, with the aim of maximising rights protections for those most at risk. Read more here.
Protecting Minors Online: A Transatlantic View on Platform Safety
Earlier this year, CDT Europe’s David Klotsonis and CDT Global’s Aliya Bhatia met in D.C. for an episode of Tech Talks. David and Aliya have been working on the online protection of minors, following and contributing to the way that the debates on this topic are on both sides of the Atlantic. This episode explores some of the similarities and differences in current attempts to make the online platforms safer for young people – specifically, it addresses key design elements of platforms (such as recommender systems), as well as contentious solutions with complicated risks and trade offs (such as age assurance measures). Tune in to learn more about this key topic.
Recommended read: Transnational Legal Theory, Stefania Di Stefano, International human rights law in content moderation and the risks of ‘misdiagnosing’ its limits
⚖️ Equity and Data
Gender Equality Perspective in AI governance
In the context of a training on AI and sexual and reproductive health rights organised by the Countdown 2030 Europe consortium, Legal and Advocacy Officer of the Equity & Data Programme Magdalena Maier presented the different AI governance and regulatory frameworks from a fundamental rights and gender equality perspective. In her presentation she assessed how various international, European and national frameworks safeguard against the fundamental rights risks of AI and what gaps remain.
Holding the Line: Preserving the Core Features of the EU’s GDPR
To commemorate Data Protection Day, Programme Director for Equity & Data Laura Lázaro Cabrera authored a blogpost outlining the current threats to the EU General Data Protection Regulation and the importance of preserving one of its core features: the very definition of personal data. In the blog, Laura describes the dangerous implications of the proposed Digital Omnibus which modifies key aspects of GDPR, with far-reaching implications for the EU’s global standing as a privacy-preserving jurisdiction, and for the effectiveness of the rest of the EU digital rulebook. The piece calls on the co-legislators currently assessing the proposal to hold firm on protecting the definition of personal data and resist the pressure to water down the current framework.
Recommended read: Untangled, When your AI assistant becomes your advertiser
⏫ Upcoming Events
The DSA and Platform Regulation Conference 2026: On 16 February, our Secretary General Asha Allen will participate in the second international conference on the DSA and Platform Regulation organised by the DSA Observatory, a project run by the Institute for Information Law at the University of Amsterdam. She will be speaking on a panel on “Risks, Rights, and Platform Accountability”. You can register your interest in attending the conference here.
Effective redress for AI harms in Europe: charting a path forward: On 19 February, join us for a webinar on gaps in the EU AI Act and how to secure effective remedies for AI harms, organised jointly by CDT Europe and the Hermes Center. Our Legal and Advocacy Officer Magdalena Maier will present our upcoming report “A Long Road Ahead: Effective Remedies for Artificial Intelligence Harms in the European Union” where she will analyse the role played by other EU legal frameworks in addressing the gaps in the AI Act, their limits in bringing true effective remedies for AI, and the necessary steps to bring access to redress closer to reality.
IASEAI’26: On 26 February, our Equity & Data Programme Director Laura Lazaro Cabrera will be participating in The International Association for Safe & Ethical AI (IASEAI) second annual conference, speaking in a workshop on “Open Problems in Frontier AI Risk Management”, at UNESCO House in Paris, France. Conference registration is by invitation only. Read more about the program here.
🗞️ In the Press
