Technology Pill

This week we're discussing borders, biometrics and more, as we take a look at what kind of surveillance you might experience if you're traveling to the World Cup, or to the EU schengen area.
Acronyms
- ETIAS: European Travel Information and Authorisation System (new for visa exempt; no biometrics - run by a central unit operated by frontex; this is where manual checks carried out if automated checks flag problems)
- VIS: Visa information System (obvs for visas; age lowered to 6? - will soon check other systems)
- EES: Entry/Exit system (biometrics on entry; records all border crossings)
- CIR: Common Identity Repository (only non-eu citizens; weak anti-discrimination; identity info from visa and ta - data from other databases lives here and is used for purposes beyond travel e.g. police checks in country)
- Eurodac: (all asylum seekers, and trying to add undocumented migrants)
- ECRIS-TCN: European Criminal Records Information System for Third-Country Nationals (data on non-EU citizens convicted in one or more EU member state)
- SIS: schengen information system (an EU database for police, judicial and border control/cooperation, to see whether they are wanted by the police or subject to an entry ban; checked on crossing external schengen border inc eu citizens)
- MID: Multiple-Identity Detector
- SLTED: Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database (checked on crossing external schengen border inc eu citizens)

Links
World Cup: https://privacyinternational.org/long-read/5759/moving-goalposts-football-facial-recognition-and-expansion-surveillance
USA
Trump Administration: https://privacyinternational.org/news-analysis/5713/trump-administration-wants-your-dna-and-social-media
Airport Phone searches: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/travel/airport-border-phone-search.html
Customs and Border Protection phone searches: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/cbp-search-authority/border-search-electronic-devices
Snooperbowl 2000/2001 NFL season
https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/firm-defends-snooper-bowl-technology
Omar Artan, the Somali Referee not allowed in to the US: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cnv9drg0qzgo
Some more info on the Iranian team's travel restrictions https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/iran-thank-tijuana-after-world-cup-exit-support-mexico-second-team-2026-06-30/

The EU's database complex - the EES and ETIAS
PI on EU travel surveillance from 2020 https://privacyinternational.org/explainer/4119/travel-surveillance-eu
Statewatch on the ETIAS https://statewatch.org/news/2026/april/europe-s-uncertain-plans-for-rolling-out-the-automated-border-system-etias/;
Statewatch's full report: https://statewatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/sw-automated-suspicion-full.pdf
Statewatch on expanding EU stravel surveillance: https://statewatch.org/news/2026/january/eu-member-states-want-to-expand-police-surveillance-of-travel/
Court cases against Passenger Name Record directive: https://freiheitsrechte.org/en/themen/freiheit-im-digitalen-zeitalter/nopnr-en
UN Counter Terror
PI's Travellers' Surveillance report from 2024 https://privacyinternational.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/PI Travellers surveillance report dec 2024_0.pdf
PI's briefing: https://privacyinternational.org/report/5481/pis-briefing-travellers-surveillance
UK
Border Search of digital devices https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2023-12-05/debates/D4EA367E-312B-4FA4-A441-0C4E7967C5D6/DigitalDevicesSearchPowersAtTheUKBorder
UK's law on seizure of electronic devices from asylum seekers and migrants https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/powers-and-operational-procedure-caseworker-guidance/border-security-asylum-and-immigration-act-2025-seizure-of-electronic-devices-policy-guidance-accessible
Tommy Robinson Court Case https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/tommy-robinson-cleared-terror-charges-over-refused-phone-access-1752352
Muhammad Rabbani - Director of Cage - Schedule 7 terror charges: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41394156

This week we're joined by Bill Goodwin, investigations editor at Computer Weekly and award-winning journalist, to discuss Europol's secret shadow IT system — and what it tells us about how law enforcement agencies evade oversight.
Links
Computer Weekly investigation: https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366642525/They-protect-the-law-while-breaking-it-Inside-Europols-shadow-IT-system
We Are Solomon: https://wearesolomon.com/en/mag/focus-area/accountability/they-protect-the-law-while-breaking-it-inside-europols-shadow-it-system/
Privacy International's 2019 FOI on Europol: https://privacyinternational.org/report/3225/challenging-drivers-surveillance-eu-access-documents-requests
Spanish police and cryptophone intercepts: https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366643318/Spanish-police-systematically-hid-cryptophone-intercepts-from-courts-claims-ex-chief
Bill's case
Goodwin v United Kingdom: https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/cases/goodwin-v-united-kingdom/
The Independent — Reporter's rights violated: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/reporter-s-rights-violated-1438583.html
Horizon
Parliamentary committee on Horizon redress: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/365/business-and-trade-committee/news/212661/post-office-horizon-it-scandal-serious-structural-failings-persist-in-redress/
Bill at TCIJ on breaking the Horizon story: https://tcij.org/summer-conference-event/breaking-horizon-post-office-scandal/

This is the third and final edition of our series on young peoples’ digital health and human rights.
Today we’re talking to Alberta Nadutey - a research officer for working on the Digital Health and Rights project about how young people in Ghana interact with digital health, and Minh Anh a young person from the Vietnam community advisory team about her participation in the research in Vietnam, and what she sees as the biggest digital health concerns as a medical student interested in public health policy.
Links
DHRP report: https://digitalhealthandrights.com/resource-library/report-paying-the-costs-of-connection/
Ghana policy brief DHRP: https://digitalhealthandrights.com/resource-library/national-policy-brief-navigating-human-rights-and-risks-online-young-ghanaians-and-the-future-of-digital-health/
Vietnam policy brief DHRP: https://digitalhealthandrights.com/resource-library/paying-the-cost-of-connection-vietnam-policy-brief/
Ghana law: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghanaian_anti-LGBTQ_bill

This week we're talking to Natalia Andrade and Laura Grisales Silva from Fundación Karisma about dating app data, the commodification of intimacy, and talking to Colombian young people about their experiences.

Fundación Karisma are a member of the ⁠Digital Health and Rights Project⁠.

Links
More from Fundación Karisma: https://info.karisma.org.co/

2018 Grindr shared HIV status and more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43624328

2021 Norwegian DPA fines Grindr: https://www.edpb.europa.eu/news/national-news/2021/norwegian-dpa-imposes-fine-against-grindr-llc_en

Ongoing UK case in which Grindr is being sued: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj7mxnvz42no

$40 million Bumble and Badoo class action settlement: https://www.jjlmlaw.com/news/bumble-biometric-privacy-40-million-settlement-approved

Criteo loses appeal on their fine: https://cybernews.com/privacy/french-ad-tech-giant-criteo-eur40m-privacy-fine/

Karisma's work on WorldCoin in Colombia: https://blog.karisma.org.co/investigar-lo-invisible-del-iris-a-worldcoin-herramientas-de-investigacion-para-transformar-la-curiosidad-en-accion/

WorldCoin in Colombia: https://cadeproject.org/updates/colombia-orders-worldcoin-shutdown-over-biometric-data-violations/

This week we're talking to Joan Musenya about life in Kenya as a young person - from mobile money, to data protection, to government surveillance.

Joan is a member of the Kenyan Community Advisory Team (K-CAT) helping to steer the Digital Health and Rights Project.

Links
- Digital Health and Rights Project report: https://digitalhealthandrights.com/resource-library/report-paying-the-costs-of-connection/
- Find more from Joan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joan-musenya/
- PI's low cost tech work: https://www.privacyinternational.org/campaigns/privacy-shouldnt-be-luxury
- More about shame based debt collection in Kenya: https://biznakenya.com/digital-lenders-kenya-debt-collection-warning/
- More about what to do if you're experiencing harassment from debt collectors in Kenya: https://dealfish.co.ke/2025/03/mobile-loan-recovery-harassment-in.html
- More about the history of M-Pesa: https://www.forbes.com/sites/christianstadler/2024/06/11/m-pesa-why-the-worlds-first-large-mobile-payment-platform-keeps-on-winning/
- CNN apology to Kenya: https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/121633/Latest%20News/cnn-boss-apologizes-to-kenya-over-terrorism-slur
- PI's work on sim card registration: https://privacyinternational.org/learn/sim-card-registration