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.
Filter resources
-
10 years of internet prosecution in Italy
On 18 May 2004, the Italian Senate turned a highly controversial new decree into law that puts heavy fines and even prison sentences on the download of movies, music or other copyrighted works even when done without any commercial purpose. Though the law speaks of penalties when ‘making a profit’, jurisprudence in Italy has already […]
Read more
-
Recommended reading: privacy and biometrics
The OECD working party on information security and privacy have published a very informative but dry report about biometrics. The report analyses theory and practice of the following major biometric-based technologies: finger-scanning, hand geometry, facial recognition, iris scanning, retinal scanning, finger geometry, voice recognition and dynamic signature verification. A brief description of other, more obscure […]
Read more
-
EU Parliament ditches PNR transfer for the third time
A last effort of the EU Council to reach agreement with the European Parliament about the transfer of airliner passenger’s personal data (Passenger Name Record; PNR) to the U.S. failed on Tuesday 4 May. With a 343 to 301 majority, Parliament decided not to vote on the Council’s proposal to treat the matter as an […]
Read more
-
Ireland cancels e-voting
Ireland has cancelled the use of electronic voting machines for the upcoming European elections in June after an independent commission said the secrecy and accuracy of the voting could not be guaranteed. The Irish government has spent 40 million euros on voting machines from the Dutch manufacturer Nedap. The Irish opposition demands the resignation of […]
Read more
-
Privacy International report on ID-cards and terrorism
EDRi member Privacy International has published an Interim Report on the link between identity cards and the prevention of terrorism. The report, the first of its kind, was initiated following attempts by the UK and Canadian governments to introduce biometric ID cards. The report analysed the 25 countries that have been most affected by terrorism […]
Read more
-
Romania implements Cybercrime Convention
Romania has implemented the Cybercrime Convention with law nr. 64 from 24 March 2004. The law was published in the Official Monitor nr. 343, on 20 April 2004. The main provisions of the Cybercrime Convention were already incorporated in Title III of the Anti-corruption law nr. 161/2003, published in the Official Monitor nr. 279 from […]
Read more
-
Business interest first served at .eu domain
On 30 April 2004, the European Commission finally released the public policy for the new .EU top-level domain. The policy seems to have been written with 2 thoughts in mind: prevent endless disputes with governments about geographical and institutional names and make sure all trademark-related rights are served first. Registration will take place in two […]
Read more
-
Update on the EU Copyright Directive
Eight Member States were referred by the Commission in December 2003 to the Court of Justice for failure to transpose the Copyright Directive (2001/29/EC) into national law. The deadline for implementation was 22 December 2002, but was only met by Greece and Denmark. Italy, Austria, Germany and the UK transposed the Directive into national law […]
Read more
-
Council accepts Spanish PNR proposal
The Council of ministers of justice and interior affairs (JHA) accepted on 29 April 2004 the Spanish proposal to oblige European air carriers to transfer passenger data about non-EU passengers entering the EU. “At the request of the authorities responsible for carrying out checks on persons at external borders, carriers will be obliged to transmit, […]
Read more
-
Final French vote on controversial Digital Economy Law
Tomorrow, 6 May 2004, the French national assembly will have the final reading of the controversial digital economy law (Loi sur la confiance dans l’economie numerique, LEN), followed by a final reading in the Senate on 13 May 2004. This will conclude the French transposition process of the E-Commerce Directive (2000/31/EC) and part of the […]
Read more
-
Collecting societies warned about breaking competition rules
The European Commission warned the 16 different organisations in Europe that collect the royalties on behalf of music-authors that they may be breaking EU competition rules. The collecting societies have closed a pan-European pact in the Santiago agreement, whereby each national organisation functions as the only shop for all European music licenses. “The structure put […]
Read more
-
Survey on WIPO Broadcasting Treaty
The Union for the Public Domain is organising a survey about the way governments act in the preparation of the proposed WIPO Broadcasting Treaty. The draft stands to give broadcasters the power to regulate copying, reproduction, distribution and right of transmission. It would extend the length of these powers from 20 to 50 years, and […]
Read more