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Meta’s users know best what information they want to receive
Our lawsuit against Meta is keeping us very busy. Evelyn wrote the following piece, which previously appeared as a foreword in our monthly English newsletter.
Judge grants Meta limited postponement in Bits of Freedom lawsuit
In early October, digital human rights organization Bits of Freedom sued Meta. The organization demanded that Meta gives its users on apps, such as Instagram and Facebook, the option to select a feed that is not based on profiling. The judge ruled in favor of Bits of Freedom and ordered Meta to modify its apps within two weeks. Meta claimed that this was impossible and asked the Amsterdam Court of Appeal for a postponement. The court has now ruled that Meta will indeed be granted such a postponement.
Meta fails to comply with court order, evades accountability
Meta is ignoring a court order requiring Meta to make its non-profiling feed directly and easily accessible. According to the digital human rights organization Bits of Freedom, this is yet another example of Meta avoiding its social responsibility.
Judge in the Bits of Freedom vs. Meta lawsuit: Meta must respect users’ choice
Today the judge issued a ruling in the summary proceedings brought by digital human rights organization Bits of Freedom against Meta. The organization demanded that Meta gives its users, on apps such as Instagram and Facebook, the option to select a feed that is not based on profiling.
Update in our case against Meta: verdict follows October 2nd
Today is the day! No, today was the day. Last week, we reported that we expect the verdict in our case against Meta today. This has now been postponed to October 2. We are still waiting eagerly.
Our dependence on Big Tech is no coincidence
Every free service you take from Big Tech is an investment by Big Tech in your dependency. Is there another way? Yes, there is.
Call to the Dutch government: prioritize the democratic rule of law, our freedom, security and digital autonomy
The Dutch government has recently fallen. During this government’s term, it has failed to address key challenges. Trust in government has been further damaged, democratic institutions have not been strengthened, and our security and autonomy have declined.
WhatsApp will start showing ads, switch to Signal
Meta has announced that it will begin displaying ads on WhatsApp. The ads you see on the app will be based on your data and online behavior. This will further increase the power and data monopoly of the Big Tech company, at the expense of user privacy. If there weren’t enough reasons already to use Signal instead of WhatsApp, this should surely be the final straw.
Stop Big Tech’s illusion of choice
The European Commission recently announced that both Meta and Apple will be fined for undermining consumer rights on transparent choices. Apple knowingly routes users to subscriptions in its App Store, while Meta encourages users to surrender their privacy to continue using its platform free of charge. We support action on these matters, but this is only the tip of the iceberg.
We would like to introduce: Zarlasht Zia
Zarlasht joins our team as Content & Engagement Specialist. We are happy to introduce you to her.
Pushing back against datafication of our bodies
A Dutch residential care center recently started a pilot to prevent seniors suffering from dementia from leaving their premises. Facial recognition software will recognize those people and prevent certain doors from opening. Dutch radio station BNR interviewed the IT provider’s operational director, who stated that every senior who isn’t allowed to leave but does, is one too many.
Home visits from the police are not just a problem for the activist
Recently, there has been a lot of controversy in the Netherlands about police visiting activists at their homes, and rightly so. People are getting home visits from the police after attending a protest or posting on social media. This is an intimidating practice that makes people feel unsafe participating in public debate. It harms not only these individuals, but also our society as a whole.
Yes! The current system of online advertising has been ruled illegal
The current system of online advertising has been ruled illegal by the Belgian Court of Appeal. Advertising itself is still allowed, but not in a way that secretly tracks everyone’s behavior.
We are not at the mercy of Big Tech
Concerns about digital dependence on the U.S. are the talk of the town, but the tone is fatalistic. This is unjustified: the Netherlands is full of digital talent.
Meta is going to train AI with your data: take action now!
Meta (the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp) announced that it wants to use users’ messages and images to train AI models. We urge all Instagram and Facebook users to object, and we are more than happy to explain how you can do this.