Apostolis Fotiadis

Hungry for data: Inside Europol’s secretive AI programme | Computer Weekly The EU’s law enforcement agency has been quietly amassing data to feed an ambitious but secretive artificial intelligence development programme that could have far-reaching privacy implications for pe...

Shall we care about Europol? The answer is... Read our latest investigation to catch a glimpse about what the agency is doing to accelerate the AI transformation of policing across the EU, with minimal safeguards. www.computerweekly.com/news/3666344...

Στις 22 και 29 Νοέμβρη θα κάνω δύο διαλέξεις εξ αποστάσεως στα πλαίσια των μεθοδολογικών εργαστηρίων του Εθνικού και Καποδιστριακού Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών για το ρόλο του λόμπινγκ στην πολιτική ζωή της ΕΕ.

Περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες www.facebook.com/YiorgosVassa...

A big thank you to the experts+editors that supported this two years long effort: @annskaja.bsky.social @krisshrishak.bsky.social @lydiaemman.bsky.social @billgoodwin.bsky.social @nunomoniz.bsky.social @article19.bsky.social @gabrielgeiger.bsky.social and Seb. Klovig Skelton from CW.

«Διψώντας» για δεδομένα: Το κρυφό πρόγραμμα AI της Europol Η «δίψα» της Europol για δεδομένα και τεχνητή νοημοσύνη μετασχηματίζει την αστυνόμευση στην Ευρώπη, πίσω από κλειστές πόρτες και χωρίς ειδική εποπτεία.

Based on internal documents obtained from Europol and analyzed by data protection and AI experts, this investigation raises serious concerns about the implications of the agency’s program on people’s privacy and the lack of solid oversight in the development of AI models.

Hungrig nach Daten: Das geheimnisvolle KI-Programm von Europol Die EU-Polizeiagentur Europol ist nicht nur an immer mehr Daten interessiert, sondern experimentiert auch mit KI-Tools, um sie zu verarbeiten. Ob automatische Einstufung von Missbrauchsdarstellungen o...

Since 2021, the Hague-based EU law enforcement agency has embarked on an increasingly ambitious, yet largely secretive, mission to develop automated models that will affect how policing is carried out across Europe.
German version below:

Hungry for data: Inside Europol’s secretive AI programme | Computer Weekly The EU’s law enforcement agency has been quietly amassing data to feed an ambitious but secretive artificial intelligence development programme that could have far-reaching privacy implications for pe...

Btw 2020 and 2021 Europol landed enormous volumes of data as a part of three mega-hack operations that dismantled encrypted communication systems. This would become the starting point of the agency's AI ambitions. New investigation out with @giacomoza.bsky.social and @stavinoha.bsky.social

The EU wants to scan every message sent in Europe. Will that really make us safer? | Apostolis Fotiadis Lawmakers argue that mass surveillance will help to protect children. But the implications for our privacy and security are staggering, says journalist Apostolis Fotiadis

Since 2022, there have been repeated efforts to mandate the scanning of private communications in the EU. Denmark is trying again, bringing another version of the proposal for a vote in the Council of the EU on October 14th. Will this really make Europeans safer? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Enfrentamiento entre España y Frontex: dudas sobre el uso de los datos que se obtienen de los migrantes Documentos internos a los que ha tenido acceso EL PAÍS revelan tensiones entre la agencia de la UE y las autoridades españolas por las entrevistas a los recién llegados

Frontex doesn't like to hear its 'voluntary' interviews of people arriving at Europe's shores being described as covert 'interrogations'. Why? Because it has no legal mandate to interrogate and criminalise migrants.

Yet, that is precisely what's happening in Spain.

elpais.com/espana/2025-...

Probe into EU farm funds fraud in Greece widens Authorities conducted a raid on Wednesday seeking information on a former official from the ruling New Democracy party.

A probe into a massive fraud in Greece involving hundreds of millions of EU cash is widening.

It now includes a former official from the ruling New Democracy party of PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Starmer v Starmer: why is the former human rights lawyer so cautious about defending human rights? The long read: Given his career as a human rights barrister, it was hoped Keir Starmer would be the PM to restore the UK’s commitment to international law. The reality tells a different story

Good morning, I've written a piece about the prime minister. I spoke to several dozen sources, including government insiders, former legal colleagues and campaigners to ask: what happened to Keir Starmer the heroic human rights lawyer? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

For years, the EU’s border agency unlawfully transferred data on migrants and activists to Europol An investigation by several media outlets, including EL PAÍS, reveals that Frontex provided the European police agency with indiscriminate information on thousands of people, gathered from covert inte...

This comes on the back of our latest investigation with @lolahierro.bsky.social and @balkanizator.bsky.social, revealing Europol's apparent refusal to delete/restrict using data of more than 11,000 people Frontex had unlawfully shared since 2016.

english.elpais.com/internationa...

Internes Protokoll: EU-Juristen kritisieren dänischen Vorschlag zur Chatkontrolle Dänemark schlägt wieder eine weitreichende verpflichtende Chatkontrolle vor. Der Juristische Dienst des Rats bezeichnet auch diesen Vorschlag als rechtswidrig. Ob das Gesetz noch kommt, könnte von Deu...

Dänemark schlägt wieder eine weitreichende verpflichtende Chatkontrolle vor. Der Juristische Dienst des Rats bezeichnet auch diesen Vorschlag als rechtswidrig. Ob das Gesetz noch kommt, könnte von Deutschland und Frankreich abhängen. Wir veröffentlichen das Protokoll. netzpolitik.org/2025/interne...

More evidence of Europol's apparent disregard for legal norms and boundaries - this time from Lesvos, where its officers appear to be behaving like secret intelligence agents, misusing Frontex activities to interrogate migrants.

For years, the EU’s border agency unlawfully transferred data on migrants and activists to Europol An investigation by several media outlets, including EL PAÍS, reveals that Frontex provided the European police agency with indiscriminate information on thousands of people, gathered from covert inte...

🚨 New investigation co-authored by our colleague @stavinoha.bsky.social: EU agencies #Frontex & #Europol unlawfully shared data, sweeping up migrants and #HumanRights defenders.

Published in @elpais.com, @lemonde.fr, Solomon, @netzpolitik.org

Read more: english.elpais.com/internationa...

Based on our investigation with @lolahierro.bsky.social and @balkanizator.bsky.social into years of unlawful personal data transfers between Frontex and Europol, under the guise of EU 'counter-smuggling' efforts.

english.elpais.com/internationa...

After publication 41 MEPs have called upon the European Commission to initiate an independent inquiry into large-scale unlawful transfers of personal data between Frontex and Europol due to the findings of the investigation @ @elpais.com , @lemonde.fr, @wearesolomon.bsky.social and @netzpolitik.org

Geflüchtete und Aktivist:innen: Frontex schickte jahrelang unrechtmäßig Daten an Europol Frontex hat jahrelang personenbezogene Daten gesammelt und unrechtmäßig an Europol weitergeleitet. Tausende Personen, darunter EU-Bürger:innen, die Geflüchtete unterstützen, gerieten durch groß angele...

We also reveal how in Nov 2022 the Commission, Frontex and Europol representatives misled parliamentarians during a hearing in the LIBE committee, by telling that transfers were not automatic and took place only on a case by case basis. netzpolitik.org/2025/gefluec...

Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people's personal data with European police In the name of combating migrant smugglers, the European Union's border surveillance agency spent years collecting information on migrants and civil society activists deemed 'suspect,' before passing ...

Frontex revised its protocols in May 2023. It is no longer passing data 'automatically'. But, crucially, Europol is refusing to confirm it will 'restrict' or 'delete' data - unlawfully shared by Frontex - as required by law.
www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decod...

Between 2016-2023, Frontex unlawfully shared the personal data of more than 13,000 'suspects' with Europol, via 'voluntary' interviews with newly arrived migrants that lack basic legal safeguards - branded by experts as 'covert interrogations'. english.elpais.com/internationa...

Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people's personal data with Europol Under the banner of fighting migrant smuggling, Frontex has collected, and unlawfully siphoned to Europol, personal data for years—quietly drawing thousands of migrants, as well as EU citizens aiding ...

For years Frontex gathered data and automatically passed it unlawfully to Europol. With @stavinoha.bsky.social & @lolahierro.bsky.social we investigated how this dragnet scooped up thousands of people, migrants and EU activists.
wearesolomon.com/mag/format/i...

Un grupo de eurodiputados pide a Bruselas una investigación independiente tras las revelaciones de EL PAÍS sobre la transferencia ilegal de datos de Frontex a Europol Más de 40 miembros de la Eurocámara exigen que se borren los datos personales transmitidos y que se impidan nuevas cesiones

Frontex suma una nueva ilegalidad a su larga lista: la filtración de datos personales.

Impulsamos una carta apoyada por decenas de eurodiputados, para exigir que se investiguen estos abusos y acabar con la criminalización de las personas migrantes y la sociedad civil

elpais.com/internaciona...

41 MEPs call upon the European Commission to initiate an independent inquiry into large-scale unlawful transfers of personal data between @frontex.bsky.social and @europol.europa.eu following our investigation for El Pais, Le Monde, Solomon, and Netzpolitik.

I feel this scoop did not get all the attention it deserves yet:

Great work by @stavinoha.bsky.social and @balkanizator.bsky.social shedding light on a widely overlooked (and unlawful) programme to feed Europol's database with data collected by Frontex, including those of activists and journalists.

Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people's personal data with Europol Under the banner of fighting migrant smuggling, Frontex has collected, and unlawfully siphoned to Europol, personal data for years—quietly drawing thousands of migrants, as well as EU citizens aiding ...

For years, human rights advocates have warned of the criminalisation of migrants & activists at Europe’s borders.
With @balkanizator.bsky.social & @lolahierro.bsky.social we shed light on the opaque role of Frontex and Europol in drawing thousands into this dragnet.
wearesolomon.com/mag/format/i...

Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people's personal data with European police In the name of combating migrant smugglers, the European Union's border surveillance agency spent years collecting information on migrants and civil society activists deemed 'suspect,' before passing ...

❗In the name of 'combating migrant smugglers', the European Union's border agency, Frontex, spent years collecting information on migrants and civil society activists deemed 'suspect,' before passing it on to Europol.

Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people's personal data with Europol Under the banner of fighting migrant smuggling, Frontex has collected, and unlawfully siphoned to Europol, personal data for years—quietly drawing thousands of migrants, as well as EU citizens aiding ...

Here is how #Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people’s personal data with #Europol

Investigation conducted by Solomon, the French newspaper Le Monde, the Spanish newspaper El País, and the German outlet Netzpolitik.

wearesolomon.com/mag/format/i...

Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people's personal data with Europol Under the banner of fighting migrant smuggling, Frontex has collected, and unlawfully siphoned to Europol, personal data for years—quietly drawing thousands of migrants, as well as EU citizens aiding ...

NEW: an investigation reveals that Frontex unlawfully shared thousands of people's data with Europol.

Frontex decided to label as “suspects” anyone mentioned during the "debriefing interviews" conducted at disembarkation points at EU’s borders.

🧵Why it matters
wearesolomon.com/mag/format/i...

Frontex transfirió durante años ilegalmente a Europol datos de migrantes y activistas Una investigación de varios medios, entre ellos EL PAÍS, revela que la agencia europea de fronteras facilitó a la entidad policial información indiscriminada de miles de personas a partir de entrevist...

Frontex transfirió durante años ilegalmente a Europol datos de migrantes y activistas
elpais.com/internaciona...