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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Madrid Court rules P2P legal in landmark case against record labels
Record labels Sony BMG Music Etertainment, Universal Music Spain and Warner Music Spain have been involved in a six year case against Pablo Soto, the developer of napster-esque peer-to-peer (P2P) apps Blubster, Piolet, and Manolito. On the 31 March the Madrid Provincial Court ruled that Soto’s “activity is not only neutral, and perfectly legal, moreover […]
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Google modifies ToS: “automated systems analyse your content”
In an update to its Gmail Terms of Service, Google has clarified that all users inbound and outbound email is scanned by automated software. Addressing the decision, a Google spokesperson said “We want our policies to be simple and easy for users to understand. These changes will give people even greater clarity and are based […]
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ORG and DigiGes launch campaigns for the European elections
EDRi members Open Rights Group (ORG), UK, and Digitale Gesellschaft (DigiGes), Germany, have launched their campaigns for the WePromise.eu initiative for the European elections that will be held 22-25 May 2014. During the next term, European Parliament will face many crucial decisions concerning digital policy, ranging from privacy, copyright and net neutrality to mass surveillance. […]
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Microsoft terms of service – a half-step forward
A few weeks ago, there was a media storm when it became known that Microsoft was availing of the right that it gives itself, in its terms of service, to search through users’ Hotmail messages. In the aftermath of the media storm, Microsoft took the welcome decision to change its terms of service. In future, […]
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Big Brother Awards Germany 2014
On 11 April 2014 the fourteenth German Big Brother Awards ceremony was held in Bielefeld, Germany. The awards are organised by EDRi member Digitalcourage and the gala was streamed via the Internet and reported by print and broadcast media across Germany. Six “regular” awards were given, and for the first time, a “positive” award was […]
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Finishing my internship with EDRi
The last three months have provided a great opportunity to get first-hand experience observing digital policy in the European decision-making process. I have worked on a number of topics and assisted with the launch of the WePromise.eu campaign. By far the most memorable (and successful) thing I’ve worked on has been the Telecoms Single Market […]
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Why did UK Labour MEP Arlene McCarthy fail to vote to protect vulnerable children?
On Wednesday 3 April, British Labour MEP Arlene McCarthy sent an urgent e-mail to her colleagues about a vote on “net neutrality” (part of the Telecoms Single Market Regulation) that was scheduled to take place the following day. In her e-mail, she alleged that amendments tabled by the Socialist Group in the European Parliament (of […]
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Is Commissioner Malmström accusing herself of violating EU law?
On the 8th of April, the European Court of Justice ruled that Data Retention Directive was incompatible with European law and declared it invalid. Recent comments by Commissioner Cecilia Malmström (whose Home Affairs portfolio covered the Directive) appear to claim that she was always aware of the incompatibility of the Directive with European law. Addressing journalists […]
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Turkey removes Twitter ban following court decision
On 2 April 2014 Turkey’s constitutional court ruled that the ban on Twitter breached laws on the freedom of expression. The decision follows Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s pledge to “wipe out Twitter” after users leaked information detailing alleged corrupt and illegal activities of several officials. The ban was enacted on 20 March and was […]
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UK adds format shifting and parody to copyright laws
The UK government has proposed regulations to add format shifting, parody and non-commercial text mining to copyright laws. After two major reviews, run by two different governments in 2006 and 2010, recommendations for greater flexibility in copyright have been tabled for voting in the UK. A debate and vote will follow at the start of […]
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Google fined for Street View violating privacy in Italy
Google has paid a 1 million euro fine imposed by Garante Privacy, the Italian data protection authority. The case dates back to 2010 when, Google’s Street View cars drove across the country without being labeled clearly enough to be perfectly recognisable, and thus violating the privacy of citizens being photographed without their knowledge. The data […]
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Data Retention ruled invalid: what does this mean for Kosovo?
The European Court of Justice published on on 8 April its verdict on the Data Retention Directive, ruling it invalid. The court’s decision follows years of strict enforcement by the Commission, which has gone so far as to seek financial penalties from a number of Member States that did not implement the measure on time. […]
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