Karen Melchior

What is the place for Geo-blocking in a Digital Age of Free Movement ?

Written on 12. June 2023.

“Sorry, but this content is not available in your country!” This is a situation, all too many of us are familiar with! When we were trying to access something that we were very interested in, but the site said no. In 2018 we ended geo-blocking – just not for audiovisual content Previous EU decisions have ended location-based restrictions in many other sectors, but in 2018 one important sector was excluded from the scope of the regulation: audiovisual content. In recent years, especially during the years affected by the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in interest...

Dereliction of Duty: how the Women’s Rights Committee failed Women in the Discussions on the ChatControl (CSAM) Regulation

Written on 12. June 2023.

The proposal to break end-to-end encryption in the CSAM regulation (ChatControl) puts everyone’s privacy at risk but is particularly harmful for women. As countries in the EU and elsewhere turn to digital surveillance to hunt down women who are seeking reproductive healthcare, I called on the Women’s rights committee of the European Parliament to speak out about the dangers of breaking end-to-end encryption, but the committee created to protect women’s rights refused to defend them. Protecting Citizens’ rights to privacy, and women’s right to access reproductive healthcare have been two of my...

AI Act vote: our push to protect citizens from Mass Surveillance

Written on 11. June 2023.

On the 14 of June, MEPs will vote on Parliament’s position on the Artificial Intelligence Act, a proposed EU law on how AI is used in Europe. The reports of the IMCO and LIBE committees already go a long way toward protecting citizens, by banning dangerous Biometric Mass Surveillance, but there are still some gaps that need to be plugged. Firstly, while the AI act does ban so-called “emotional recognition”, there are concerns that this ban may not extend to “behavioral recognition”, a deeply flawed technology that has reported hugs as violent assault. I don’t believe that citizens should...

Due Diligence Mandate for European Parliament

Written on 7. June 2023.

It was a big moment when we in the European Parliament last week voted through the compromise on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive! Now the negotiations with the Council (the EU Member States) can begin. The “due diligence” directive defines what responsible big companies must do to minimise their impact on the environment and uphold human rights. In the EU, we have rules covering hazardous sectors like conflict minerals and timber. With the proposed legislation, we want a set of rules that apply to all industries. The mandate for the European Parliament to enter into negotiations...

Radikales håndtering af arbejdsmiljøsag – advokatnotat

Written on 3. June 2023.

Karen Melchior in a yellow dress standing on black tiles by a red sofa looking up and smiling

I denne uge kom der endnu en gang fokus på et dansk politiker, og et dansk medlem af Europa-Parlamentet, i sammenhæng med påstande om dårligt arbejdsmiljø for medarbejderne. Det er både trist, ærgerligt og kedeligt – selvfølgelig først og fremmest fordi alle involverede er mennesker af kød og blod. Jeg er helt bevidst om, at arbejdsmiljø og adfærd opleves meget forskelligt af henholdsvis medarbejdere og ledere. Magtbalancen gør, at ord og samtale kan opfattes med divergerende vægtning. Derudover kan kemien og kompetencerne simpelthen være manglende i forholdet mellem medarbejdere og leder. For...

Free Period Products for EP Visitors

Written on 28. May 2023.

I am happy to share that the European Parliament is launching a pilot project of providing free period products at our visitors’ toilets! Thank you to all my colleagues from different political groups who supported this initiative of mine, which the Parliament has adopted. We believe that menstrual security should be a collective issue. It is a question of dignity, solidarity, and health. Period products are a necessity for a sizable proportion of our guests. For people on their period, they are as intuitively essential as toilet paper, soap or hand towels and should therefore be made...

FEMM Committee Chat Control Amendment Discussion (24 May 2023)

Written on 24. May 2023.

Good Morning, Following the revelations in Wired yesterday showing that a majority of our member states wish to break encryption and some not only to prevent and prosecute Child Sexual Abuse material. We must remember that once encryption is broken, it is broken for all. We must remember once we give up our rights to privacy it’s gone for all of us. I’m glad to be here in the FEMM committee this morning, and welcome this opportunity for this discussion on the CSAM regulation. Thank you to the Rapporteur and shadows for their diligent work There are lots of issues with the Commission’s proposal,...

CSAM – Scanning of end-to-end encrypted conversations and for unknown content and grooming is particularly problematic

Written on 23. May 2023.

First and foremost, it is essential to understand that the proposal for a regulation laying down rules to prevent and combat child sexual abuse (CSAM / Chat Control) from the Commission, rather than aiding our fight against abuse, may inadvertently make it more challenging. Specifically, the scanning of end-to-end encrypted conversations and the pursuit of unknown content and grooming will prove ineffective in catching abusers. The Commission is acting like they can wave a magic “digital” wand and solve child abuse, but their proposal actually risks making it harder to catch abusers while...

You spoke, and we heard you: protecting open-source developers in the CRA and PLD

Written on 26. April 2023.

The Product Liability Directive and Cyber Resilience Act are two important EU laws that will impact how software is developed, but many in the open source community are worried about how these laws will affect them, and so am I; which is why I have proposed changes to protect the open source community and guarantee fair rules on liability and cybersecurity. Two weeks ago, the Python Software Foundation published an article expressing concern about issues they had found in two upcoming EU laws: the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), and the Product Liability Directive (PLD). Since the publication...

ChatControl is illegal, so what can we do to protect kids?

Written on 19. April 2023.

We don’t have to spy on our children to keep them safe! Stop believing in the magic wands of digital filters and flagging content that can make our societies’ problems disappear. Let us use technology to empower our children to identify risks and enable them to reach out to trusted adults instead of a paternalistic approach using flawed technology that won’t protect kids but will make it harder to catch abusers! Let us build an internet that lets kids explore independently while learning about risks in an environment built to offer them safety, agency, and privacy. Introduction Last week,...

Sport og politik hænger sammen som ærtehalm – derfor skal russiske og belarussiske atleter ikke deltage i OL

Written on 2. April 2023.

Der er historier vi fortæller os, selvom vi burde have indset for længe siden at de ikke passer. En af dem, som mange bliver ved med at fortælle dem selv og verden er, at sport og politik ikke hænger sammen. En løgn, som blev gentaget i Politikens leder den 3. april, på trods af den var skrevet af satireredaktøren, så tror jeg desværre ikke den var satire. Sport og politik hænger sammen som ærtehalm. Statsledere, byer og nationer bruger sporten til at vaske deres image rent og hylde dem selv. Sportsfolkene i klæder sig de nationale farver og flag mens deres uddannelse understøttes gavmildt...

The European Digital Identity: Parliament’s final position

Written on 23. February 2023.

The European Digital Identity is a proposal that will allow EU citizens, residents and businesses to identify themselves, access digital services and digitally sign documents through a Digital ID and store and share “attributes” such as personal information, diplomas and licenses safely and easily using a Digital Wallet. It will provide inter-operability across the union; with signatures and attributes recognised in all member states, making it easier to work, study and travel around the Union. In 2022, I led negotiations on this law in the JURI Committee, with negotiations concluding in October...

The Data Act: preserving privacy and putting citizens in control

Written on 27. January 2023.

In recent years, we have seen an explosion in the development of “smart” and “connected” devices: from home appliances to industrial machines, and medical equipment to cars. The EU wants to make better use of this data to benefit the economy. I have been negotiating on behalf of Renew in the JURI committee, to make sure the Data Economy is fair, doesn’t harm businesses, puts citizens in control of their data, and prevents abuse of data, be it by governments or companies. On Tuesday 24 January, the JURI committee voted on our opinion on the data act after months of tough negotiations. In...

C’est arrivé et donc cela peut arriver à nouveau…

Written on 26. January 2023.

Le 27 janvier est la journée internationale dédiée à la mémoire des victimes de l’Holocauste. En ces temps sombres animé par la guerre de la Russie contre l’Ukraine, il est important de rappeler que les horreurs du passé durant la seconde guerre mondiale peuvent se répéter même 80 ans plus tard… Le 25 janvier, j’ai eu l’honneur d’accueillir au Parlement, Monsieur Katznelson. Nous avons visité ensemble l’exposition Faces of Europe, exposition photographique dédiée aux femmes qui ont perdu la vie dans les camps de concentration de Ravensbrück durant la seconde guerre mondiale....

Twitter kills 3rd party app ecosystem?

Written on 16. January 2023.

Potentially anticompetitive shutdown by Twitter of third-party app ecosystem Last week, a service (API) provided by Twitter allowing third-party software to interact with the social network was shut down. For decades access via API spurred the development of a commercial ecosystem of third-party apps built around Twitter: software for tweet scheduling, business customer service, posting to multiple social networks, or analytics. Providing superior user control and experience. The shutdown of the service, around which many SMEs and indie developers have built their businesses, has paralysed the...

Are Shares in Companies Undue Influence?

Written on 21. December 2022.

Karen Melchior pale faced woman with a purple shirt on looking into a mirror adjusting her short dark har.

I find it super important to have transparency and openness about potential undue influence on politicians. So I welcome any conversation and questions about this. The financial interests of politicians is part of this conversation. As uncomfortable as it is being quizzed on my personal finances and talking about them openly. This is the only way we can avoid undue influence – through transparency and openness. For me, being transparent also makes me evermore aware of not being less critical of companies I have shares. I am actually more critical, because I do not want others to be able...

How will the Commission respond to a court ruling that makes it harder to investigate money laundering & tax evasion?

Written on 5. December 2022.

Last week, Russian Investigative Journalist Maria Pevchikh posted an excellent twitter thread concerning a recent ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union, and how it may help shady organisations — often controlled by Russian Oligarchs — hide or launder money in the European Union. 1/20 Dear friends, I need to draw your attention to something super bad and super important (and it doesn’t originate from Russia for once). Last week the EU has taken a shockingly stupid and damaging decision to close down national corporate registers of beneficial owners 🧵🧵🧵 pic.twitter.com/DA3kO7Enlh—...

European Parliament calls on improvement on human rights in Egypt // نص مقترح لقرار وفقا للمادة 132 من النظام الداخلي بشأن حالة حقوق الإنسان في مصر

Written on 25. November 2022.

We in Renew Europe succeed in having a plenary debate on the situation of human rights in Egypt, strongly condemning Egyptian authorities’ crackdown on civil society, including during COP27P. Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, attended and spoke at the debate on behalf of High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell The European Parliament decried a lack of rights and basic political freedoms in Egypt and reiterated its firm condemnation of the country’s widespread use of torture by security services. It also urged Egypt to cooperate fully with investigations...

The European Digital Identity: our fight for a private digital wallet and a secure web

Written on 27. October 2022.

The European Digital Identity is a proposal that will allow EU citizens, residents and businesses to identify themselves, access digital services and digitally sign documents through a Digital ID and store and share “attributes” such as personal information, diplomas and licenses safely and easily using a Digital Wallet. It will provide inter-operability across the union; with signatures and attributes recognised in all member states, making it easier to work, study and travel around the Union. The Commission’s proposal could make tasks like getting a loan, applying to study at a university...

Global Encryption Day – Stop Scanning Us

Written on 21. October 2022.

Whether citizens know it or not, encryption is at the heart of everything we do: it protects our bank cards and ID, keeps us safe when shopping online, and keeps our conversations private.On this #GlobalEncryptionDay i think it is important to recognise, however, that encryption is under attack from all sides, including in the European Union. The Commission’s “Chat Control” proposal is the latest and largest of such attacks. It would subject all our conversations to government-mandated error-prone scanning systems, effectively ending the right to private correspondence. This...