Open Rights Group

"John Edwards' departure is a chance for the [UK] Government to appoint a regulator with teeth, and reset the regulators' approach of providing data protection in name only."

"Parliament must ensure that the future Commission is run by professionals who want the law enforced, including against government data failures."

🗣️ ORG's Jim Killock.

A law only works if it's enforced. Yet time and time again, the ICO has failed to protect our data rights. Our privacy relies on a regulator that will take action against the government and private sector at a time of escalating threats.

We need to .

Sign and share the petition ➡️ https://action.openrightsgroup.org/reset-ico

ICO boss John Edwards announces resignation following investigation Edwards has been the boss of the data watchdog since January 2022, and said he had made inappropriate attempts at humour.

Stop the use of facial age estimation tech in the UK asylum process!

Some of the most vulnerable children in the world will be exposed to inaccurate and biased AI tools.

Read the open letter to the Home Office signed by ORG and 60 organisations, led by Foxglove and Human Rights Watch.

Foxglove, Human Rights Watch and 60 other organisations write open letter to Government condemning Home Office border tool aimed at asylum-seeking children This open letter has been prepared by Foxglove and Human Rights Watch. A full list of signatories can be found at the bottom of the page.

Facial age estimation tech is being rolled out in the UK asylum system ⚠️

A damning investigation from Lighthouse Reports reveals that the Home Office’s own assessment of these tools found them to be deeply flawed.

Yet it's being rolled out regardless of the potentially dangerous consequences.
The Home Office's internal report found that even the "best performing” tools tended to overestimate the age of teens.

It found significant bias against people from Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly girls. So girls as young as 14 could be housed with adults.

Say no to AI in asylum!

Home Office knew AI age checks for migrants were flawed — but rolled it out anyway Exclusive: Government advisors describe the tool as ‘hideously flawed’ amid concern facial age estimation has ‘baked-in racial bias’ — and can wrongly identify a 14-year-old as an adult

🚨 First the social media ban, now the government wants to restrict VPNs 🚨

VPNs help people stay safe and secure online. They are a vital cybersecurity tool for businesses, politicians, journalists and families to protect data and communications.

Banning or age-gating VPNs would increase cybercrime risks and expose IP addresses to predators. If adults use them to by-pass ID checks, it's because they don't trust unregulated age verification providers with their data.

We mustn't bulldoze cybersecurity with another authoritarian attack on the open Internet.

Sign the petition ➡️ https://action.openrightsgroup.org/tell-government-protect-vpn-use-uk

VPN ban on table in July as Labour confirm 'further statement' VPNs could face restrictions following the social media ban announced on Monday.

This we're calling on politicians to show courage and stand up for people seeking safety! That means fighting back against the Home Office's potentially unlawful use of AI in asylum decision-making.

Tell your MP to back an immediate ban ➡️ https://action.openrightsgroup.org/ban-ai-tools-asylum-decision-making

A legal opinion for ORG raises issues over the legality of the use of AI tools in the UK asylum system. Applicants aren't being informed of its use by decision-makers, nor being given the opportunity to correct errors in AI-generated summaries. This carries serious risks to fairness, accountability and the protection of rights. That's why its use could be UNLAWFUL.

Find out more ➡️ https://www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releases/home-office-use-of-ai-in-asylum-cases-likely-to-be-unlawful-legal-opinion-finds/

AI tools are being rolled out without meaningful transparency or governance. This is alarming given that they are rewriting what people say in interviews and key information that'll determine the outcome of an asylum application.

The use of AI tools to clear the asylum backlog prioritises speed over accuracy. 23% of caseworkers lacked full confidence in the output of these tools. The Home Office has pressed ahead anyway and rolled out its use across the asylum system.

Find out more ➡️ https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/saving-time-risking-lives-government-uses-ai-tools-to-inform-asylum-decisions/

The hostile environment is being automated. Immigration enforcement is being embedded into daily life, but most MPs are staying silent. That silence gives the government cover to push through unlawful, discriminatory policies unchallenged.

Despite questions about the legality of using Al tools, the Home Office has pressed ahead anyway and rolled out their use across the asylum system. MPs must show courage to demand change this Refugee Week!

We must ban the use of AI tools in the asylum process. There are ways to clear the backlog of asylum cases and raise standards. These tools aren't the answer. The government must not automate the hostile environment.

Write to your MP ➡️ https://action.openrightsgroup.org/ban-ai-tools-asylum-decision-making

NEW: A global movement to defend the open internet 🌐

Stop Killing the Internet brings creators, communities and civil society together to say: the Internet must remain open, private and free. ORG is joining the movement.

Governments are moving toward bans, scanning, curfews and restrictions that could change the internet for everyone. We can't stand by as governments pursue online safety in ways that gut our rights to privacy and free expression.

supports rights-respecting approaches to child protection, privacy, democratic accountability and platform responsibility.

“Open Rights Group encourages people around the world who want a human-rights based approach to tackling harm to join this movement.��“

🗣️ ORG's James Baker.

Find out more ⬇️

Stop Killing the Internet: New global movement launches Stop Killing Games has teamed up with global rights respecting organisations, including Open Rights Group, to form Stop Killing the Internet, a global movement defending the open Internet.

Within a year we've gone from p**n to “iPhone users, Spotify users, Xbox and PlayStation players pushed through ID checks.”

Now social media...

It'll only make online harms worse. The data shared for age checks feeds back into ads and customised content that keep us online.

The open Internet is being killed by stealth. The social media ban is part of a global push towards a permission-based Internet where access is controlled.

The government should address the causes of online harms in the business model of the platforms.

Sign the petition ➡️ https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/break-big-tech

🗣️ ORG's James Baker.

Impact of social media ban for under-16s in UK hinges on how firm it is Questions remain over enforcement, privacy risk and whether it could open door to even more invasive measures

The Cybersecurity Bill is in Parliament TODAY.

ORG is urging MPs to vote for an amendment that would require the government to develop a Digital Sovereignty strategy. This would help secure the resilience and independence of the UK’s critical infrastructure away from US Big Tech.

“Big Tech companies like Palantir, Amazon and Google, have used their outsized power to gain control of the UK’s digital infrastructure, influence government policy in their favour and lock the government into wasteful, expensive contracts."

🗣️ ORG's Jim Killock.

“The UK’s future prosperity and security depend on getting our approach to digital sovereignty right. This isn’t about shutting our doors to global technological innovation, it is about being smart, strategic, and ambitious for UK tech."

🗣️ Victoria Collins MP who has tabled the amendment.

The UK's over reliance on Big Tech companies "is not only a national security risk but also a waste of a critical national resource when we are locked into contracts that benefit shareholders over citizens.“

🗣️ Clive Lewis MP who is supporting the amendment.

We need a Digital Sovereignty Strategy. It'll help the UK reduce risks from foreign interference, vendor lock-in, insecure supply chains and over-reliance on foreign-supplied technologies.

The UK needs a public sector that can make technology choices in the public interest.

Sign the petition ➡️ https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-trump-s-kill-switch-secure-our-digital-sovereignty

Find out more ⬇️

https://www.openrightsgroup.org/press-releases/mps-urged-to-vote-for-a-digital-sovereignty-strategy/

MPs urged to vote for a Digital Sovereignty strategy Open Rights Group is urging MPs to vote for an amendment to the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill that would require the government to develop a Digital Sovereignty strategy that would help secure the resilience and independence of the UK’s critical infrastructure.