Digital rights roundup: EU data centers, child safety, and alternatives to US platforms

Getting off US tech: a guide

Looking for a meaningful new year commitment? Consider transitioning away from surveillance-heavy American technology services in 2026. A newly published guide maps out straightforward substitutes for widely adopted platforms and services, making the switch more manageable. The resource walks readers through practical options.

What Ireland's data center crisis means for the EU's AI sovereignty plans

Dublin and its surroundings now host one of the world's densest concentrations of data centers. What started as a quiet buildup has fundamentally altered Ireland's energy landscape, consumed grid resources needed elsewhere, and deepened reliance on carbon-intensive power generation. Under the AI Continent Action Plan, the EU intends to expand data center capacity threefold, but Ireland's already-strained infrastructure suggests the continent may encounter comparable obstacles. The investigation was produced jointly with AlgorithmWatch and received backing from EDRi, the European Center for Non-For-Profit Law, and Lighthouse Reports' grants for investigative journalism and civil society partnerships.

Not an impasse: child safety, privacy, and healing together

Across Europe and beyond, lawmakers are advancing regulations framed around child protection—from the EU's "Chat Control" proposal to the UK's age verification schemes. Concerns about child sexual abuse material drive much of this legislative push, yet these efforts increasingly frame children's safety and adult privacy as opposing interests locked in deadlock. At the 39th Chaos Communication Congress, technologist Kate Sim examined this apparent contradiction and outlined pathways forward for those committed to both safeguarding and privacy. Her talk is available to view.

How Wikipedia will survive in the age of AI

For decades, Wikipedia's crowdsourced model has anchored the web, yet as generative AI has inundated platforms with low-quality synthetic content, the encyclopedia's commitment to verifiable sources and transparent editing has become increasingly valuable. Despite its proven success, few platforms have adopted similar governance structures. In a recent podcast episode, Selena Deckelmann, chief technology and product officer at the Wikimedia Foundation, discusses stewarding one of the internet's most-visited properties amid the generative AI boom.

Source: EDRi (European Digital Rights)