2023 Annual Report – CDT Europe: A Leading Voice for Human Rights in EU Tech Regulation

Since 2013, CDT Europe has worked in Brussels to advocate for the promotion and protection of democracy and human rights in EU tech law and policy. In 2023, the CDT Europe team welcomed two new Programme Directors and other staff, allowing us to deepen our work on online expression, privacy, AI, and surveillance.
As regulatory debates on topics like platform responsibility and AI governance took center stage, CDT Europe worked to advance public interest priorities. We brought together civil society and government representatives to give input as key proposals moved forward, including on the EU’s AI Act and implementation of the Digital Services Act (DSA). Under the leadership of the CDT-convened DSA Civil Society Coordination Group, calls to establish a formal way for civil society to monitor, advise on, and engage with DSA implementation and enforcement mechanisms were increasingly received and acknowledged by the European institutions.
We also built forums for civil society to engage with regulators on other topics. In collaboration with the Open Government Partnership, and supported by the rotating presidencies of the Council of the European Union, we continued our series of civil society roundtable discussions with key EU officials on major files. Other 2023 collaborators included the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN B-Tech Team, and the Geneva Academy.
In many forums, including an October seminar hosted by the European Data Protection Supervisor and a report published by Child Rights International Network and Defend Digital Me, CDT Europe outlined how the EU’s Proposal on Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) empowered law enforcement entities to conduct warrantless mass surveillance without necessary checks and balances – creating risks particularly for marginalized children who are more likely to have negative experiences with policing. Throughout, we sought to ensure essential online child protections while respecting the European and international right to privacy and data protection. In a win for children and all users, the European Parliament’s LIBE committee voted in November in favor of introducing important rights-protecting safeguards to the CSA proposal, including changes protective of end-to-end encryption.
A key element of CDT Europe’s advocacy was
pushing for gender justice as part of our ongoing
work to defend the online free expression of
historically marginalized groups.
A key element of CDT Europe’s advocacy was pushing for gender justice as part of our ongoing work to defend the online free expression of historically marginalized groups. At a forum hosted by the Organization for Security & Co-operation in Europe (OCSE), CDT Europe’s Asha Allen highlighted how online gender-based violence and gendered mis- and disinformation are specifically intended to
prevent politically engaged women from contributing to public debates. We continually worked to shape the EU Directive on online gender-based violence (GBV) — noting the significant step towards a European-level legal framework for addressing GBV, while raising concerns about the risk of disproportionate, discriminatory enforcement.
As 2023 came to a close, CDT Europe’s talented director, Iverna McGowan, stepped down to take a leading role working on technology and human rights at the U.N. As CDT Europe welcomes its new Director and continues to grow in Brussels, we look forward to advancing human rights in EU policymaking, with impact not only in Europe, but around the world.