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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Strong protest Dutch libraries against access to data
The public and academic libraries in the Netherlands have united in strong protest against a proposed new law that will give the police extraordinary new access powers to data about readers. The law is now with the Senate and the committee on legal affairs is waiting for answers from the minister after a first critical […]
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French court forbids DVD copy protection
On 22 April 2005, a Paris appeal court has outlawed the use of a copy protection mechanism on a DVD. The case was launched by the French consumer union UFC-Que Choisir early in 2004, on behalf of a customer who had unsuccessfully tried to copy a DVD of David Lynch’s film Mulholland Drive. She tried […]
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Report on journalism, civil liberties and the war on terror
The international federation of journalists (IFJ) and the UK civil liberties group Statewatch have launched a new report on 3 May 2005, World Press Freedom Day. The report examines how democratic states sacrifice civil liberties and free expression in the name of security and concludes: “The war on terrorism amounts to a devastating challenge to […]
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Danish debate about privacy in municipal administrations
A recent bill proposing a comprehensive structural reform of the Danish municipal system has initiated a heated debate about the protection of personal data, the rule of law and citizens access to information. “How can digital administration empower marginalised groups of the Danish society?”, “How to ensure that the administration will be more transparent for […]
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Italian prosecutor demands take down Indymedia Italy
The public prosecutor’s office of Rome has requested the relevant judicial authorities to allow the seizure of Indymedia Italy’s website, on the ground of violation of the Italian penal law on ‘vilipendio della religione cattolica’ (‘insult to the catholic religion’) and ‘vilipendio della figura del Papa’ (‘insult to the Pope’s figure’). What happened? Someone, using […]
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Initiative European libraries to digitise books
On 28 April 2005 6 EU countries sent an open letter to the European Commission and the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council asking for a European digital library. Inspired by the French president Jacques Chirac, the presidents or prime ministers of Poland, Germany, Italy, Spain and Hungary have signed the letter. On 3 May 2005 […]
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Council of Europe draft statement on human rights and Internet
On 6 and 7 April 2005 a committee of the Council of Europe debated on the merits of a new recommendation on human rights and Internet. On behalf of European Digital Rights Meryem Marzouki from the French digital rights organisation IRIS attended, in fact as the only NGO present. This second meeting of the Multidisciplinary […]
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Bulgarian Big Brother Awards
On 13 April 2005 EDRI-member Isoc Bulgaria organised its second Big Brother Award Ceremony. This years winner in the category of most heinous political institution was the Council of Ministers, for changing the Data Protection Act. Data protection was used as an excuse to block access to personal data of public figures, including politicians. The […]
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New wave of lawsuits against European P2P users
The music industry has launched a new wave of lawsuits against individual P2P users in Europe. For the first time individual users were targeted in Finland, Ireland, Iceland and the Netherlands. These countries join Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and the UK, where litigation started last year. During a press conference in the Netherlands on […]
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Data retention news
On Wednesday 13 April the Dutch news agency ANP broke the news that the European Council of Justice and Home Affairs had definitely withdrawn the data retention proposal from their schedule and would wait for a proper 1st pillar proposal from the European Commission, following devastating legal advice from both the Commission as well as […]
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French minister demands compulsory biometric ID card
The French minister of the Interior Dominique de Villepin has announced plans to force every Frenchman to buy a new electronic ID card with a chip containing photograph and fingerprints. On 11 April the French government outlined its plan to introduce biometrics on passports by 2006 and on ID cards by 2007. In an interview […]
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European Privacy developments at CFP05
European privacy developments and counter strategies from civil society was one of the topics at the annual US privacy conference, Computers, Freedoms and Privacy (CFP), last week in Seattle. During the specific debate devoted to developments in Europe it became clear that while EU countries used to be known for their strong privacy legislation and […]
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