EU: Proposed reform dangerously erodes privacy, automates surveillance
A proposed reform of Europol's mandate ahead of 2026 would dangerously expand surveillance powers and automate data processing, eroding fundamental privacy rights, according to civil society groups. The reform risks turning Europol into a mass surveillance agency without proper safeguards.
Background
- Europol is the European Union's law enforcement agency, headquartered in The Hague. Its current mandate is set to expire in 2026, and the European Commission has proposed a new regulation to overhaul it.
- The proposed reform would let Europol process large datasets — including data scraped from the internet — to develop and test new AI tools, even when no specific crime is being investigated. Critics call this "algorithmic experimentation" on personal data.
- A coalition of about 60 NGOs (led by Protect Not Surveil, EDRi, and others) argues the reform would turn Europol from a crime-fighting support body into a mass-surveillance agency, bypassing the existing EU rules on data protection and proportionality.
- The proposed system would rely on "strategic intelligence" — a broad category that critics say is vague enough to justify fishing expeditions through millions of people's data without individual suspicion.