Bonum Certa Men Certa

EPO Abuses 'Data Protection' to Hide Its Own Abuses

"Changes to the Staff Changes List: Less transparency at the Office"

All the things the Office does not want you to know
Vampires dislike sunshine



Summary: The EPO's overt corruption is still being concealed; under Benoît Battistelli and António Campinos data protection or privacy at the EPO was routinely violated but now they champion the term "data protection" to censor evidence of the abuse

THE EPO is still a den of lies and abuse. We respond to many of them in Daily Links. We still see European software patents getting thrown out in European courts. Of course the EPO is just trying to replace those courts, even if that's both illegal and unconstitutional. This profound abuse will cost the EU. It will damage the EU's reputation like it did the EPO's. But this isn't the subject of today's post.



Circulating in the EPO this month is the following document. It's not from the union but from staff representatives. It contains many references and it also contains some names (apparently not pseudonyms), so we've chosen to obfuscate them in this public (HTML/GemText/plain text) version, which is preceded by an introductory message:

The Office will discontinue publishing the following information on the monthly Staff Changes List. - entry grade of newcomers, - reasons for termination of service - i.e. retirement, end of contract, resignation - citizenship

In this paper, we explain why we are against this. The Office should become more transparent, not less.?


Here's the full (3-page) text:

Zentraler Personalausschuss Central Staff Committee Le Comité Central du Personnel

Munich, 28.04.2023 sc23045cp

All the things the Office does not want you to know



The Office will discontinue publishing important information on the monthly Staff Changes List. We explain why we are against this. The Office should become more transparent – not less.

What is it all about?

The “Staff changes” lists are published monthly on the Intranet. The lists include dates of appointments and confirmation thereof, promotions, transfers, unpaid/family/parental leave, and termination of service. It appears that the Data Protection Officer (DPO) believes that some information is not strictly required for publication and should not be published to protect the interest of the data subjects.

What will change? The Office proposes in GCC/DOC 10/2023 to discontinue publishing the following information:

a) entry grade of newcomers, b) reasons for termination of service – i.e. retirement, end of contract, resignation, and c) citizenship.

EPO staff changes






What is the opinion of Staff Representation?

In our view, the Office should become more transparent and accountable – not less. We are against these changes for two reasons.

First, the staff change list is based on Article 31 ServRegs. It is titled “Communication to staff” and guarantees transparency and information by providing that:

“All specific decisions regarding appointment and confirmation thereof at the end of the probationary period, promotion, transfer, determination of administrative status and termination of service of an employee shall be communicated to the staff.” (Article 31 ServRegs)


"Right to be informed infringed"We believe that data a) to c) are an essential part of the specific decisions listed in the above article. For example, the entry grade is a part of the decision regarding appointment. Not publishing data under a) to c) would breach this article and, consequently, staff at the EPO would be adversely affected as their right to be informed would not be fulfilled.

"Transparency empowers staff"Second, it is essential that staff at the EPO knows what is happening in their vicinity and their department and are in a position to be able to compare the dynamics of different departments. For example, whether the ”end of service” of a colleague was due to a resignation or retirement (hence, a choice of the colleague), or whether the end of service was due to the non-renewal of a contract (hence, decision of the Office) is information staff and their representatives should be aware of. The information in the staff change list empowers all of us and enables us to make informed judgements and decisions about our work and life at the EPO.

Why is transparency important?

Transparency is crucial for international organisations because it empowers members of the organisation to become more aware of and gain a broader and deeper understanding of what is happening. Transparency also helps to build trust, which is critical for efficient collaboration. It establishes an organisation's reliability and trustworthiness and improves internal and external relationships. It is also a barrier against favouritism.

"Staff change list: no problem for over 14 years"The staff change list as we know it today has existed at least since 2009. In over 14 years, no data protection officers ever identified any problem or breach of data protection rules or guidelines.




Mr Campinos considered changing the list for the first time in May 2019. At that time, the changes were presented “in order to enhance the clarity and readability” of the list and it did not occur to anyone to justify the changes with data protection. Employee empowerment is one of the visions, and transparency is one of the key initiatives of the Strategic Plan 2023. Article 31 ServRegs enhances the services of the EPO and has been part of the Service Regulations since they were adopted 45 years ago in 1977. The reason was to give transparency to a newly born international organisation.

Conclusions

"Data protection “abused” to render EPO less transparent?"What should be avoided at all costs is to give the impression that the EPO Data Protection Rules are used as a pretext to render the internal working at the EPO less transparent. On the contrary, it is important in our view that the EPO becomes more transparent and accountable. This is essential for the trustworthiness and reputation of the EPO towards its staff and the public. For example, the publication of step assignments and functional allowances would contribute to that goal.

For all these reasons we invited the Office to withdraw this proposal.

The Central Staff Committee

[redacted]



It's quite revealing; the EPO is run by unqualified thugs who break the law, including privacy laws, and now they leverage "privacy" to silence their critics and exposers. The problem is that to me, as an EU proponent, this seems like an embarrassment and a risk to the EU. Not only are we witnessing inaction but active facilitation (e.g. with UPC). The EPO's corruption, which is deeply connected to EUIPO corruption, puts Europe at risk, not just its patent system.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Names Are Not Unique IDs and the UK Government's "Digital ID System" Would be a Nightmare
Digital surveillance, "apps", and worse (all the time)
Why the EPO Never Managed to Silence Us (After Over a Decade of Trying)
Firms like Mishcon de Reya and Brett Wilson LLP contribute to a bad stigma, staining the entire occupation
It Feels Like Brett Wilson LLP Has Just Tacitly Admitted That It Defamed Me
It arguably admitted many other things by refusing to deny or address them (altogether)
 
Almost a Couple of Years After Microsoft Hijacked the Name 'Sudo' (to Describe Unrelated Windows Stuff) Microsoft Canonical Breaks Sudo in Ubuntu
These are vandals in "goodwill" or "security" clothing
Does the Good Law Project (GLP) Know the Director of Brett Wilson LLP Deems It OK to Endorse Violent Actions Against Trans People?
We were miffed to see this morning's report
What is Roy and Rianne's Righteously Royalty-free RSS Reader?
A news reader that uses OPML files and parses RSS feeds
The Free Software Foundation (FSF) Turns 40 in 5 Days
We should be talking about software freedom, not "Open Source"
Stefano Maffulli's Front Page Mentions "AI" 11 Times
They're more focused on slop (plagiarism) than sharing or Software Freedom
CMS Rot
With "modern" (bloated) content management systems (CMSs) there is a long chain of dependencies
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, September 28, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, September 28, 2025
Slopwatch: Fake Articles About Linux 6.17 and Microsoft Meddling in Linux Development
today's Slopwatch is short because the picks are from Sunday
Gemini Links 29/09/2025: The Labor Wars and Retro
Links for the day
Links 28/09/2025: Windows TCO, Security Breaches, and Deutsche Bahn Woes
Links for the day
Datacentres Aren't Reliable for Backups
bad practices cause immeasurable levels of permanent data losses each and every day
Links 28/09/2025: Science, Censorship, and Security Incidents/Advisories
Links for the day
Gemini Links 28/09/2025: Golem and Cybertrucks
Links for the day
Links 28/09/2025: Moldova Elections, LLM Slop Failing Again to Accomplish Anything
Links for the day
Links 28/09/2025: Slop Does More Harm, Newly Released Epstein Estate Documents
Links for the day
Links 28/09/2025: Fentanylware (TikTok) 'Going Private' (the Dictator's Media Allies) and UK Mirror Lays Off More Journalists
Links for the day
A Year Ago, Only a Few Weeks After We Countersued the 'Hulk Hogan of UEFI', Our Webhost Came Under Attack
At the end of September 2024 our webhost received several threats
If Only Someone Warned Us About This...
Ubuntu is committing suicide with Rusty code
The Register - Kissing the hand that feeds it
hired to manage the publication several people connected to Microsoft, including the new Editor in Chief
The Myths of "Linux" and of "Intelligence"
As noted this morning
People Remembered GNU's Birthday (Which Helps Remind People It All Started in 1983, Not 1991)
Have the FSF and GNU earned the respect they deserve?
Slopwatch: Ponzi Schemes Promoted by Media Companies, Linux Journal Turning Its 30-Year Reputation to Dust, and Serial Slopper Brian Fagioli Plagiarising, As Usual
This bubble will end up very badly
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, September 27, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, September 27, 2025
Links 27/09/2025: Squashing Software Patents and When Hospitals Become For-Profit
Links for the day
Gemini Links 27/09/2025: Young Feet and Online Bots
Links for the day
GNU Project Turns 42
In 2033 it'll be 50
Next Step: Find Out Who's Funding the 'Hulk Hogan of UEFI' to SLAPP Us
We now have the 'Hulk Hogan of UEFI' working alongside a strangler of women, who as a Microsoft employee spent time in prison for it
Web Sites That Are Independent Are Also Like Software Projects (Sometimes Literally So)
Roll out your own 'stack'
Pieter Hintjens on Codes of Misconduct a Decade Ago
original is still online
Links 27/09/2025: Australia Might Ban Microsoft GitHub for Young People, Likely Illegal Executive Order Turns TikTok Into Cheeto Propaganda
Links for the day
Repeating the Lies to Promote a Ponzi Scheme is Not OK Because "Many Other Sites Do This" (Including Slopfarms)
They already work on the next Ponzi scheme
The Register MS (Situation Publishing) is Participating in a Ponzi Scheme
The market in "tech" seems awful when a lot of it sells a fraud and journalism about this market is part of the fraud
Glimmer of Hope: More People Realise and Come to Accept "AI" is Just a Giant, Elaborate Ponzi/Pyramid Scheme That Will Leave Everyone Worse Off (Except the "Top of the Pyramid")
quoting Einhorn and some comments
Mass Layoffs in Starbucks... and Society Loses Nothing of Value
Society might even be better off if Starbucks shuts down entirely
Do Your Job and Demand Your Compensation - But in That Order.
We'll do our best to convince the Judge to award all costs to us (lawyers, barrister, LIP bills etc.) plus judgements against them, for abusive litigation and needless suffering associated with that abuse
Matthew J. Garrett Behaved in a Similar Fashion to 4Chan and Kiwi Farms
Opposites attract? Are they opposites at all?
Drew DeVault Suggests "CoC Enhancement", Starts Trolling Projects in Microsoft GitHub
And it backfires immediately
Like Nazi Germany and Volkswagen
Tell us all about "freedom" when your government runs a Ponzi scheme
Microsoft Sponsored This Man, Microsoft Sponsored His Behaviour (and He Controls Microsoft)
They get what they paid for
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, September 26, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, September 26, 2025
He Talks Too Much, He Says Dumb Things
only British when that suits him
Slopwatch: FUD and Plagiarism (Working Against Linux) Promoted and Rewarded by Google News
Shame on Google News