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Copyfails bonus track: Copyright levies
The EU is reforming its copyright rules. We want to introduce you to the main failures of the current copyright system, with suggestions on how to fix them. You can find all the Copyfails here. This article is an additional one – a “bonus track” – to the series presenting Copyfails. How has it failed? […]
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EDRi is looking for a policy intern
EDRi is looking for an intern to support our advocacy team, located in Brussels. The internship will go from September to mid-December 2016. European Digital Rights (EDRi) is an international non-profit association of 31 digital civil rights organisations from across Europe. We defend and promote rights and freedoms in the digital environment, such as the […]
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Massive lobby against personal communications security has started
Since 2002, European citizens’ freedom of communication, the security of our communications devices, and the protection of our personal data in the online world have been safeguarded by the so-called e-Privacy Directive. This Directive is now up for renewal. Unsurprisingly, after the big online companies launched probably the biggest ever lobbying campaign to undermine the […]
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ENDitorial: Is 5G as terrible as the telecoms providers claim it is?
A collection of big telecoms providers, together with some equipment manufacturers that rely on them for business, recently launched a document called the “5G manifesto”. The document aims to give the European Commission guidance on how to ensure the upgrade of EU mobile communications to its “5th Generation”.
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Turkey: “The worst menace to society” helps to defeat the coup
On 15 July 2016, coup d’état attempt against the Turkish government took place. Although tension in Turkey gradually escalated in the first half of 2016, nobody expected a military coup. The news about the the blocking of the bridges over the Bosphorus strait quickly spread via social media at about 10 pm in the evening […]
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The lobby-tomy 8: “Anti-fraud” – another magic word
Prevention of fraud is a compelling argument for less privacy protection. Insurance companies, banks, and lenders often use it to get access to data.
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EU Ombudsman demands trilogue reform, following our advice
On 12 July 2016, the European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly adopted a decision that asks for a reform of trilogues. In her decision, she follows many of our recommendations. The Ombudsman is the body dealing with maladministration in the European Union (EU).
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More Copyfails or meaningful improvements?
The EU will soon be reforming its copyright rules. The European Commission is planning to present its proposal on 21 September 2016. To succeed in updating the copyright rules in a way that respects the needs of both the users and creators of cultural goods, we believe both European citizens and policy makers should better […]
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German surveillance laws: placebos, poison, and also bad sport
The German parliament, the Bundestag, voted in favour of two contentious surveillance laws in July 2016. These are not only disappointing with regard to their content but also as cases of dubious parliamentary procedure. Those observing international politics may be familiar with the phrase “burying bad news”. The phrase gained notoriety through leaked emails from […]
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Copyfail #9: Digital Rights Management (DRM): Restricting lending and borrowing books and music in digital format
This article is the ninth in the series presenting Copyfails. The EU is reforming its copyright rules. We want to introduce you to the main failures of the current copyright system, with suggestions on how to fix them. You can find all the Copyfails here. How has it failed? We are able to lend book […]
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European Court confirms: Strict safeguards essential for data retention
Today, on 19 July 2016, the Advocate General (AG) Henrik Saugmandsgaard Øe of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued an Opinion on a case Tele2 Sverige AB v Post- och telestyrelsen (C-203/15) that deals with data retention obligations that were imposed by law on a Swedish telecom provider. The Court was […]
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Citizens sent a clear and loud message: We want a free and open internet!
Keeping the internet free and open undoubtedly matters to Europeans: by the end of the public consultation on implementation of net neutrality rules, over half a million comments were sent following the SaveTheInternet.eu campaign.
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