France's Interior Ministry confirmed a cyberattack on its email servers, leading to unauthorized access of sensitive files, including criminal records. Minister Laurent Nunez described the incident as 'very serious,' with investigations ongoing and one arrest made.
Denmark's government has officially scrapped a legislative proposal that would have restricted the use of VPNs to access geo-blocked content. The decision, announced by Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt on December 15, 2025, follows significant public and expert criticism regarding digital rights and online privacy.
The Government of India initiated a National Cyber Safety Awareness Campaign on December 14, 2025, aimed at educating students across the nation on critical aspects of online safety, digital responsibility, and data protection. The comprehensive program will utilize workshops, digital modules, and awareness drives to foster a secure digital environment for young learners.
Denmark, backed by 26 other European nations including the UK and Italy, is advocating for a 'modernisation of the interpretation' of the European Convention on Human Rights. The initiative, formalized in a joint statement signed in Strasbourg, aims to ease the deportation of criminal foreign nationals by re-evaluating Articles 3 and 8, which concern the prohibition of inhuman treatment and the right to private and family life.
European nations, members of the Council of Europe, met in Strasbourg to consider changes to migrant protection frameworks, including reinterpreting the European Convention on Human Rights. This move, influenced by mainstream parties adopting stricter policies and rising far-right sentiment, has drawn criticism from rights advocates concerned about weakened protections.
Portugal has updated its cybercrime law, introducing exemptions for security researchers and ethical hackers. Published on December 4, the amendment creates a legal safe harbor for good-faith vulnerability discovery under strict conditions, aiming to bolster national cybersecurity.
Andorran courts have accepted a complaint to investigate four Spanish police officers for alleged coercion and extortion against Andorran citizens. The officers are accused of attempting to obtain banking information to frame Catalan officials as part of 'Operation Catalonia', a Spanish smear campaign against the Catalan independence movement.
Europe's top human rights court has faulted Turkey for jailing former Kurdistan Workers' Party fighter Ayhan Aykaç based on a confession given without a lawyer present, deeming it a violation of his right to a fair trial. The ruling highlights the critical importance of legal assistance during initial interrogations.
Florida, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio have settled lawsuits with the Department of Homeland Security, agreeing to share driver's license data. This data will be used with the expanded SAVE program to identify alleged noncitizen voters, a move aimed at enhancing election integrity but raising concerns among voting rights advocates.
An international press freedom mission, comprising eight leading organizations, concluded its visit to Turkey, expressing grave concerns over the escalating political pressure, judicial harassment, and censorship targeting journalists. The mission highlighted a troubling pattern of punitive actions and called for urgent reforms to safeguard media freedom.
Independent Senator David Pocock has introduced a private member's bill, titled 'The Online Safety and Other Legislation Amendment (My Face, My Rights) Bill 2025,' to the Australian Parliament. The legislation aims to strengthen protections against AI deepfakes by giving Australians legal ownership of their face and voice, and empowering the eSafety Commissioner with enhanced removal powers.
China's Cyberspace Administration and Ministry of Public Security have released draft regulations for public consultation, aiming to bolster personal information protection on large online platforms. The proposed rules mandate domestic data storage, outline strict cross-border transfer requirements, and enhance user rights, with feedback open until December 22, 2025.
Italy's competition authority, AGCM, has closed its probe into Google's alleged unfair commercial practices regarding personal data use. The investigation, launched in July 2024, concluded after Google committed to implementing remedies, including clearer consent requests and improved transparency on data combination and cross-use across its services.
France and Nigeria have officially launched a technical cooperation project in Lagos to strengthen Nigeria's data protection framework. The initiative, spearheaded by the French Treasury and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), leverages French expertise to enhance regulatory capacity and ensure compliance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
Germany's Federal Court of Justice is deliberating on how long credit agency Schufa may store data on settled payment defaults. The case follows a Cologne Higher Regional Court ruling for immediate deletion, contrasting Schufa's three-year retention policy and an ECJ decision on GDPR compliance.
Denmark, currently holding the EU Council presidency, has withdrawn the contentious 'Chat Control' proposal. The legislation, aimed at mandating messaging services to scan communications for illegal content before encryption, faced widespread opposition over privacy concerns and its potential to undermine end-to-end encryption. Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard confirmed the shift towards voluntary detection, with the current framework expiring in April 2026.
Internet connectivity across Cameroon has been severely disrupted since October 23, 2025, leaving millions offline. This outage coincides with escalating protests and political tensions following the disputed October 12 presidential election, where incumbent Paul Biya is poised for re-election.
China's Cyberspace Administration and State Administration for Market Regulation have jointly issued new Measures for Certification of Cross-Border Personal Information Transfer, effective January 1, 2026. These measures complete the regulatory framework under the Personal Information Protection Law, offering a new compliance pathway for businesses transferring personal data overseas.
The Hungarian Supreme Court, known as the Kúria, has issued a significant judgment confirming the limited liability of online platform service providers. This ruling, grounded in the E-Commerce Act and the Digital Services Act, clarifies that platforms are not objectively liable for unlawful content posted by users, provided they lack actual knowledge or act promptly upon notification.
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Turkey violated the rights of prominent Kurdish politician Aysel Tuğluk, citing unlawful detention and infringement of freedom of expression. The court found her 2016 pre-trial detention was politically motivated and ordered compensation.
