Cyprus parliamentary committee discusses digital rights and AI regulation

On Monday, the Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights in Cyprus met with the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy, Nikodimos Damianou, to discuss the establishment of a national Digital Rights Charter. Committee chair Christos Christofides stated that the charter would serve as a framework for modernizing legislation related to artificial intelligence, personal data, and public services. The initiative aims to align Cypriot law with European standards, including the EU AI Act and the Council of Europe Convention on Artificial Intelligence. Professor Konstantinos Kouroupis of Frederick University noted that, according to Eurobarometer data, 50% of Cypriots feel unsafe online and many remain unaware of their digital rights. The proposed framework includes rights to human oversight in algorithmic decisions and transparency regarding automated processing. Deputy Minister Damianou confirmed that the government is actively preparing to implement the EU AI Act, with specific focus on safeguarding minors from harmful AI-generated content. The committee plans to initiate a broad public and institutional consultation process to develop these protections. This initiative seeks to ensure that technology serves citizens while protecting democratic processes and individual rights.