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Exchange with the Committee of Ministers: facing the hard winds to deliver human rights for all
Commissioner's introductory remarks at the exchange of views with the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Deputies Merci Madame la Présidente, dear Ambassadors, Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity to be with you this afternoon to present my annual report for 2025. I hope you've all had a...
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What would a human rights-based response to disinformation and information manipulation look like?
Speech dlivered at the High-Level Conference on Media Literacy and Information Integrity: Building Resilience to Disinformation and FIMI in Europe. Dear Friends, There have been three notable occurrences this week that I consider to be deeply relevant to our topic. The first is the death of...
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AI: protecting human rights through smart oversight
Transcript of the keynote address delivered by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty at the Parliamentary Conference on Artificial Intelligence, organised by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the parliament of the United Kingdom House of...
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Exchange with the Committee of Ministers: human-centred pathways to peace in Ukraine, AI oversight and defending the ECHR
The Commissioner held an exchange of views with the Committee of Ministers on Tuesday 18 November. Below is the published version of his introductory remarks: Thank you very much, Madam President, and my warm congratulations and best wishes to you as you take up the presidency. I walked past the...
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AI in policing: risks, duties and partnerships
Transcript of Michael Oflaherty’s keynote speech delivered at the 15th Europol Data Protection Experts Network (EDEN) conference “Data Protection & Cybersecurity in Law Enforcement”. Deputy Executive Director, Commissioner Gafà, dear Colleagues and Friends, As you heard, it is my second EDEN. I...
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Tech regulation and innovation should go hand in hand
The Commissioner participated in the European Dialogue on Internet Governance, which had the overarching theme: “Safeguarding human rights by balancing regulation and innovation”. Below is the published version of his introductory remarks: “Dear Ministers, dear Secretary General of EuroDIG, dear...
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Human rights oversight of artificial intelligence
Speech delivered at the Embassy of Ireland in Paris. Monsieur l’Ambassadeur, Excellences, Mesdames et Messieurs, Chers amis, Many years ago, I was sitting on a hotel terrace, looking across the lawn. As I sat there, I became aware of a little machine going up and down the grass, cutting as it...
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Artificial Intelligence – Intelligent Politics. Challenges and opportunities for media and democracy
On-line keynote speech at the Council of Europe Conference, of Ministers responsible for Media and Information Society. Dear Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a great pleasure to be with you today, even if only remotely. We would all have preferred to meet in person in Cyprus as originally...
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Human Rights in the Era of AI Europe as international Standard Setter for Artificial Intelligence
Dear Minister, Ladies and Gentlemen, Ensuring that technological development works for and not against human rights, democracy and the rule of law is one of the biggest tasks that states face. Early on in my mandate I warned about the human rights implications of new technology, including AI...
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Governing the digital world to protect democracy and security
Thirty years ago, tomorrow, crowds of East Germans crossed the border peacefully and climbed on the Berlin Wall together with West Germans. That symbolic moment, which catalysed months of civil unrest in Eastern Europe, told the world that a new era had just started. Over the past thirty years,...
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Justice in Europe facing the challenges of digital technology
"Humans and machines are living in an ever-closer relationship. One that provides great opportunities but also threats. Indeed, technology is never neutral. It is very personal because it carries ethical, political and legal implications. No doubt criminal justice systems can benefit greatly from...
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Speech by Commissioner Dunja Mijatović, at the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age, RightsCon 2019, Tunis, 11 June 2019
Last week, Muslims around the world celebrated the end of Ramadan. Celebrations were held in many countries, including here. There was however a notable exception: China. There the authorities banned such celebrations. This is not surprising. A recent article of the New York Times from the city...
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We need to act now and put human rights at the centre of artificial intelligence designs
"Dear Ministers, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, The impact of artificial intelligence’s on human rights, democracy and the rule of law is one of the most crucial factors that will define the period in which we live – and probably the whole century. How artificial intelligence is designed and...