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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NETmundial, multistakeholderism and fair process
“I don’t know what you mean by “multistakeholder”, ” Alice said. Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. “Of course you don’t—till I tell you. I meant “there’s a nice knock-down argument for you!” ” “But “multistakeholder” doesn’t mean “a nice knock-down argument”,” Alice objected. “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, “it means […]
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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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Commission opens investor-to-state dispute settlement consultation
The EU Commission has published a public consultation on modalities for investment protection and on investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in the EU – US trade negotiations (TTIP / TAFTA). ISDS is the most controversial aspect of these negotiations. The ISDS mechanism gives multinationals the right to sue states before special tribunals if changes in law […]
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Human rights orgs form coalition against surveillance exports
A campaign against the export of surveillance and oppressive technologies to dictators has recently been launched in Brussels, called The Coalition Against Unlawful Surveillance Exports (CAUSE). The campaign is coordinated by a coalition of organisations that includes EDRi member Digitale Gesellschaft, Amnesty International, Open Technology Institute and Privacy International. The objective of the campaign is […]
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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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