Half of Cypriots unaware of their digital rights as parliament moves to draft Digital Rights Charter

Local aitechnologyTop News Half of Cypriots unaware of their digital rights as parliament moves to draft Digital Rights Charter Relevant News Half of Cypriots unaware of their digital rights as parliament moves to draft Digital Rights Charter 30 June 2026 Hot and sunny Tuesday with temperatures reaching 39°C inland 30 June 2026 ASSERTUS: Paphos’ economic transformation is creating new opportunities for investors and businesses 30 June 2026 Despoina Psyllou 30 June 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Half of Cypriots do not feel safe online and do not know their digital rights, according to Eurobarometer data presented to the parliamentary Human Rights Committee on Monday, as lawmakers and officials gathered to examine the challenges of artificial intelligence and digital transformation with the aim of drafting a Cypriot Digital Rights Charter. Professor Konstantinos Kouroupis of Frederick University cited a European Commission survey from March on the digital awareness of Europeans. “The majority of Cypriots believe digitalisation makes their lives easier and are in favour of it,” he said. “At the same time, however, 50% of Cypriots distrust the effectiveness of their protection online, while one in two does not know their rights in the digital environment.” Government priorities: AI Act and online age limit Deputy Minister of Innovation Nikodemos Damianou said concern about AI challenges was understandable and that the government was acting. He said the AI Act, the world’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, was a top government priority, and that Cyprus had managed to incorporate new provisions on the protection of minors from inappropriate AI-generated content during its EU Council Presidency. “The competent authorities have been designated and the study on how we will organise ourselves to comply with this demanding regulation is in its final stages,” Damianou said. Within two weeks, he added, a new AI strategy with a deliberately human-centred approach would be ready for public consultation. On protecting minors online, Damianou said the government intended to set 15 as the minimum age for internet access. “We are moving forward with our intention to establish a framework for the online safety of minors,” he said. “The framework is currently being prepared and is in its final stages. A public consultation will follow and around November we expect to be ready to proceed with the legislative measures.” The Law Office of the Republic noted that Cyprus does not currently have an AI bill, as an EU extension has been granted for the discussion of certain regulations. It added that the AI Act would require amendments to numerous existing laws, and called for better consolidation of existing legislation protecting online rights so that citizens know where to turn. Accessibility, discrimination and data protection Persons with disabilities either lack access to digital services or require assistance from others, a finding the office of the Commissioner for Administration said it had documented in two reports submitted to the committee. The office called for more education, simplification of procedures and functioning telephone support centres. It also raised concerns about the risk of discrimination in AI use, noting there is currently no framework defining which human rights must be protected in this context. Data Protection Commissioner Maria Christofidou said her office was working to strike the right balance between privacy, transparency and citizen safety, covering both the use of citizens’ personal data and minors’ internet use. Commissioner for Communications and head of the Digital Security Authority Marios Pieri said his office was working on a regulation covering dangerous AI practices, and singled out one concern in particular. “I am concerned that diagnoses are being made via AI. We know this is being applied in diagnostic centres in Cyprus,” he said. “Any right you have offline, you should have online” The Bar Association stressed that rights enjoyed offline must be fully protected online, pointing to Estonia as a model where citizens can see at any time who has accessed their data and when. “Every service must be easy to use, understandable to everyone and subject to human oversight,” its representative said. Head of the European Commission Representation in Cyprus Panicos Pourgourides said the philosophy underpinning EU digital policy was that rights online must mirror rights offline, and that digitalisation must remain human-centred. Professor Haris Xinaris of the European University Cyprus cautioned that legislation alone was not enough. “Having laws implemented is another matter, as is having education,” she said. Professor Theognosia Kouspi of the University of Nicosia noted that even where AI use was not widespread at an institutional level in the public service, it was already being used by individual civil servants. Towards a Cypriot Digital Rights Charter Committee chair Christos Christofides said the hearing addressed a matter of exceptional importance, namely how human rights are protected in the age of AI, algorithms and digital life, adding that decisions affecting citizens’ lives are increasingly being made by algorithms. He pointed to international examples: the EU has adopted a Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles and the AI Act; the Council of Europe has gone further with its Framework Convention on AI, Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law; Spain has drafted a Digital Rights Charter; Estonia leads in digital public services with a rights-based approach; and Finland and France are developing specialised policies for digital education and child protection online. Among the rights to be protected, Christofides said, is citizens’ right to know when a decision is made by an algorithm and when a video is AI-generated, as well as the right to digital education, cybersecurity, accessibility and full participation in digital society. “Our goal is to launch a broad public and institutional consultation that will lead to the drafting of a Cypriot Digital Rights Charter,” Christofides said. “We must ensure that technology serves people and not the other way around.” Read more: Cyprus becomes first EU country to criminalise AI-generated child sexual abuse material Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Hot and sunny Tuesday with temperatures reaching 39°C inland ASSERTUS: Paphos’ economic transformation is creating new opportunities for investors and businesses What’s in the deal between Israel and Lebanon? Explainer: What is behind South Africa’s anti-immigrant protests? 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