Our work
EDRi is the biggest European network defending rights and freedoms online. We work to to challenge private and state actors who abuse their power to control or manipulate the public. We do so by advocating for robust and enforced laws, informing and mobilising people, promoting a healthy and accountable technology market, and building a movement of organisations and individuals committed to digital rights and freedoms in a connected world.
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In Germany, Data Retention refuses to die
The debate is intensifying in Germany on whether telecommunications data retention should be reintroduced. At the centre of the controversy is Sigmar Gabriel, the leader of the Social Democrats (SPD, the smaller party in Germany’s “grand coalition” government since 2013), and consequently a government minister for the economy and chancellor Angela Merkel’s deputy. Gabriel’s role […]
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The evolution of the concept of privacy
In 1776, John Adams wrote that it had been the British right to search houses without justification that sparked the fight for independence. In other words, John Adams thought that it had been an unjustified violation of privacy that had kindled one of history’s most noteworthy revolutions. More than two centuries later, those unruly colonies […]
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EDRi joins the Document Freedom Day
Today, we are celebrating the Document Freedom Day to raise awareness for Open Standards. Open Standards allow us to share all kinds of data freely. They ensure availability, transparency and interoperability of software and document formats – and prevent us from being locked in to using a particular software or service. We believe that the […]
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Copyright exceptions and limitations – back to the future
The noise around the non-legislative report of the European Parliament on the Copyright in the Information Society Directive (also known as the InfoSoc Directive and Directive 2001/29/EC) in Brussels is deafening. With one Committee still to table its amendments, the total number of amendment has already reached 759. Part of the reason for this is […]
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Parliament’s work on copyright enforcement – not worth copying
The European Parliament’s Committee on Culture and Education (CULT) adopted an Opinion on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement, in response to the European Commission’s Communication entitled “Towards a renewed consensus on the enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights: an EU Action Plan”. It starts by offering support for “the” “follow the money” approach. The only problem […]
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EU trade secrets Directive: threat to free speech, health, environment and worker mobility
STATEMENT (pdf) 23 March 2015 (updated from 17 December 2014) Multi-sectoral civil society coalition calls for greater protections for consumers, journalists, whistleblowers, researchers and workers We strongly oppose the hasty push by the European Commission and Council for a new European Union (EU) directive on trade secrets because it contains: – An unreasonably broad definition […]
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Civil society calls for inclusion in the EP Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights and Copyright Reform
Ensuring a Balanced Representation of Views in the EP Working Group on Intellectual Property Rights and Copyright Reform
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Preparations for a comprehensive copyright reform in the EU Parliament: Document pool
In the field of EU copyright policy, there are two European Parliament own-initiative reports (which will become a non-binding non-legal resolution) which EDRi is following closely. Firstly, there is the report on the implementation of the so-called “InfoSoc Directive” by Julia Reda. This report analyses a Directive which contains core elements of EU copyright law, including […]
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Dutch data retention law struck down – for now
Published originally by EDRi-member Bits of Freedom And then everything went BANG: from our Twitter-timeline to the champagne bottle at our office. This morning the court annulled the data retention law. Effective immediately. But what exactly did the judge say and what will happen now? The data-retention law requires telecom providers to save communication- and […]
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France implements Internet censorship without judicial oversight
The recent terrorist attacks in Europe have led to many statements implying the necessity of limiting citizens’ fundamental rights to ensure public safety. At the European level we are faced with the alarming prospect of air passenger data (Passenger Name Records, PNR) collection and long-term storage, while in France the legislative mills are turning even faster. […]
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Dutch civil rights group highlights dangers of ISDS in trade deals
On 9 March 2015, EDRi-member Vrijschrift sent a letter to the Dutch Parliament, highlighting the dangers of investor-state dispute settlement clauses (ISDS) in the trade agreements with Canada (CETA) and Singapore (EUSFTA) that the European Union is currently negotiating. On 25 March, EU Ministers of Trade will meet informally to discuss trade agreements, and in […]
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ENDitorial: Spanish rightsholders lobby against copyright reform
Among the very energetic but narrow group of critics attacking the European Parliament’s draft report on the implementation of the Information Society Directive (2014/2256(INI)), the Spanish collecting society SGAE has been one of the most vociferous. In a position paper sent to Parliamentarians, SGAE declares “inadmissible” the mere idea of debating copyright reform and makes […]
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