While the EU has taken a lead in developing policy for data practices and AI, it also puzzles with contradictory initiatives that clearly threaten to limit civil liberties. Just to name a few, the ill-conceived Chat Control, the disputed articles in the copyright directive, the illegal content initiative, or the possibility for mass surveillance embedded in the AI Act, or the targeting of refugees and migrants through algorithmic systems and surveillance means fuel heated debates and meet much needed resistance. This panel explores capacities and limits for civil society actors to intervene with, react to or to change policy. Bringing together participants from research, advocacy, and politics this panel discusses possibilities for response, care and activism where governance falls short or is part of the problem.
