We are activists, researchers, lawyers and journalists exposing state power across Europe and its borders.
@statewatch@mastodon.world
@statewatch.bsky.social
1/ Today, we are leaving X.
Under its current ownership, X has become a platform for amplifying hate speech, disinformation, & extremism while sidelining voices from civil society.
That’s not a space we can support.
ALT A green print-like image of elon musk giving two thumbs up next to donald trump is overlapped with another version: cropped to elon's hands and flipped upside down, to give two thumbs down in a sign of disproval. "Statement: goodbye, X. As activists, lawyers and journalists exposing power and informing dissent, we cannot support a forum that promotes far-right extremists and their rhetoric.
2/ Alongside @Migreurop, @EDRi and other civil society groups across Europe, we’ve chosen today as a symbolic moment of dissent.
Read more on why we are leaving here: buff.ly/40r42Wk
3/ Going forward, we hope you will join us elsewhere–especially on our mailing list: buff.ly/3WNdovt
Otherwise, find us on:
• Bluesky (@statewatch.bsky.social)
• Mastodon (@statewatch@mastodon.world)
•LinkedIn (@statewatch)
And to @X? Well, it’s not us. It’s you.
Open letter speaks out against Europol-Egypt agreement. 📢
Citing Egypt’s “abysmal human rights record", the letter condemns the plan as part of a strategy that puts "security" above people’s rights and freedoms.
Read it here: buff.ly/40daG2g
ALT Green haftone images of a demonstration next to text: "Open letter: Europol-Egypt cooperation sacrifices rights and freedoms for security. 40 organisations agree: the EU shouldn't 'cooperate' it should demand reforms"
GPS tagging of migrants is cruel and disproportionate, as research from PLP, @Medical_Justice and @BIDdetention has proven.
Now the Home Office's evaluation of its own GPS tagging pilot has revealed that it was ineffective too.
Italian PM Meloni claimed credit for the drop in European migrant crossings: bit.ly/3E5EJ4x
Any politician also has the courage to "claim credit" for the death of at least 1699 people in the Central Mediterranean⁉️
As long as states continue to use tactics of #secrecy, we will work to expose them.
Whether in meeting agendas, budgets, or policy plans, redaction is a tactic used to maintain state power.
Our new logo represents our commitment to challenging this power. 🦖
Would you like to know more about how data protection law can be used in migration and asylum cases? 🛡️🔒📊
➡️@StatewatchEU is organising a new training on: Data protection in immigration and asylum: Rights and opportunities for redress ⤵️
Participants will learn about:
- The EU legal framework and technological infrastructure for migration and asylum
- How EU privacy and data protection law is relevant
- How to prepare and file access requests
Find the details and register here: buff.ly/3DOLmZd
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🚨 NEW: Frontex, "voluntary" deportations, & anti-solidarity
Special report by @HopeAmeliee & @AnasAmbri reveals how EU-backed & Frontex-led "voluntary returns" blur the line between choice & coercion, especially in detention settings.
Read it here: buff.ly/3DQI2gb
ALT Green cut-out image of a detention centre with green text that says: News. Frontex, "voluntary" deportations, and anti-solidarity. Special report by Hope Barker and Anas Ambri. 14 January
👉 Join us for a workshop: Data protection in immigration and asylum: Rights and opportunities for redress
When: 23 January, 16:00-18:00 CET
Where: Online (zoom)
1/2
Participants will learn about:
- The EU legal framework and technological infrastructure for migration and asylum
- How EU privacy and data protection law is relevant
- How to prepare and file access requests
Find the details and register here: buff.ly/3DOLmZd
2/2
4 DAYS LEFT: Apply to be our new #trustee by 13 January.
We are looking for people with expertise and experience in:
• fundraising
• relevant legal matters
• organisational growth
• carrying out research
Read about the role and how to apply: buff.ly/3P4SItD
ALT Black ad for trustee positions at State watch, with green halftone images of group with fists raised and white text, "looking for folks with expertise and experience in fundraising, relevant legal matters (such as employment and charity law), organisational growth, development and improving internal policies and procedures, carrying out research and investigations. Apply by the 13th of January!
Unsurprisingly, Frontex is in trouble for #DataProtection breaches.
The @EDPS_EU has given @Frontex a slap on the wrist because—for almost a decade—Frontex has been gathering data from migrants and refugees who arrive in the EU and sharing it with @Europol.
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ALT Quote from the European data protection supervisor: "It is Frontex responsibility to comply with the specific safeguards imposed by the law...
The processing of data in an EU law enforcement database can have profound consequences
on those involved.”
The data Frontex gathered through "debriefing" interviews was shared without "any kind of assessment of the necessity of such sharing".
Aside from being an alarming oversight, this was also "contrary to what is required by Frontex Regulation."
buff.ly/4h8jgq8
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1/ In case you missed it, we look slightly different now.
As a community of activists & journalists, we wanted our look to reflect the history of zines, pamphlets & other materials used to inform public dissent.
We wanted to be bold, informative & (sometimes) a little cheeky.
2/ And as for our logo, whether you see it as...
• a nod to document redaction ◼️
• placards at a demonstration 🪧
• or even a little dinosaur 🦖
...we feel it represents who we are, what we come from, and what we’re up against.
ALT Two horizontal green bars in the shape of an S on a light grey background.
Times are changing, so we thought we would change (a little) with them.
That’s right, we have changed our look. But don’t panic, this new visual flair doesn’t change our mission.
We will continue exposing state activity that threatens human rights–just as we have since 1991.
ALT Green text on a light grey background displaying Statewatch's new visual identity with the message: New look, same mission.
We are seeking new trustees! 💚
Our trustees play a critical role in shaping our work and ensuring we do it well. That's why we are recruiting for trustees with these particular skillsets.
Apply by Monday, 13 January.
See the role & how to apply: buff.ly/3P4SItD
ALT ad for trustee positions at State watch, looking for folks with expertise and experience in:
• fundraising
• relevant legal matters (such as employment and charity law)
• organisational growth, development and improving internal policies and procedures
• carrying out research and investigations
Apply by the 13th of January!
ALT A Happy New Year postcard in Statewatch's new visual identity, featuring green text on a paper background with a halftone image of fireworks and a fist raised in the air. It reads: may this year bring less government secrecy and more dissent, from: State watch. The new logo is two redaction bars that form an S and State watch in all caps.