Papers

The EU has identified artificial intelligence (AI) as one of the most relevant technologies of the 21st century and highlighted 1 its importance on the strategy for EU’s digital transformation. Having a wide range of applications, AI can contribute in areas as disparate as helping in the treatment of chronic diseases, fighting climate change or anticipating cybersecurity threats.

The revelations made about the Pegasus spyware raised very serious questions about the possible impact of modern spyware tools on fundamental rights, and particularly on the rights to privacy and data protection. This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing assessment in the EU and globally of the unprecedented risks posed by this type of surveillance technology. It comes from the EDPS’ conviction that the use of Pegasus might lead to an unprecedented level of intrusiveness, which threatens the essence of the right to privacy, as the spyware is able to interfere with the most intimate aspects of our daily lives.

Technological developments in recent years have steadily increased the demand for quality data. In this context, both public and private entities are considering anonymization as a means to share data without harming the fundamental rights of individuals. However, along with its growing popularity, some misconceptions related to anonymization have become widespread. 

The objective of this document is to raise awareness about some misunderstandings about anonymisation, and to motivate its readers to check assertions about the technology, rather than accepting them without verification.