bits of freedom
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Council debates encryption and other closed-door matters
In July 2016, Justice Ministers in the European Union met to discuss the “issue” of encryption in the context of the fight against crime and terrorism. In August, Bernard Cazeneuve and Thomas de Maiziere, the French and German ministers of interior, announced that because more people are using encryption, governments must develop a coordinated response. […]
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The lobby-tomy 9: Lessons of the lobby
The new European privacy law was a feast for lobbyists, but how did the Dutch government deal with all that information? And is lobbying bad? The new European data protection regulation is the most lobbied piece of legislation ever because the subject is very important and touches upon almost every aspect of our daily lives. […]
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Is your internet provider restricting your internet traffic? Report it via RespectMyNet.eu
By privileging, slowing down or blocking certain kinds of online services, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) across Europe continue to undermine a free, open and competitive web. To raise awareness about such manipulations, RespectMyNet.eu is collecting reports of net neutrality violations. We want to show you one of them, and explain how you can find out […]
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The lobby-tomy 6: Not in my backyard
Something you’ll hear in policy debates on the environment: windmills are a great idea and obviously good for the environment, but we don’t want them in our backyard. This argument doesn’t just apply to the debate on the environment, but apparently also in the debate on privacy protection. Representatives from industry speak convincingly about what […]
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Please sue us
Each of the Member States of the European Union is required to incorporate European directives into national legislation. If a Member State does not obey this obligation, the European Commission can sue this country in the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). But what actions can a country take if such directives force […]
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Member in the Spotlight: Bits of Freedom
Bits of Freedom is the leading Dutch civil rights organisation, focusing on privacy and communications freedom in the digital age. They strive to influence legislative and non-legislative measures, in order to increase freedom and privacy on the Internet.
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EU Data Protection Package – Lacking ambition but saving the basics
Statement of European Digital Rights (EDRi), Bits of Freedom, Digitale Gesellschaft e.V, Open Rights Group (ORG), Digital Rights Ireland and Privacy International following the vote of the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee on the Data Protection In January 2012, the European Commission, following extensive consultations, published a draft Regulation and a Directive to create a […]
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Minister of Interior and National Police Force win Dutch BBA 2015
Amsterdam hosted four big privacy conferences in October 2015: the Amsterdam Privacy Conference and the Privacy Law Scholars Conference, both for academia, the International Privacy Conference for regulators, and the Dutch Big Brother Awards, organised by EDRi member Bits of Freedom on 29 October in Stadsschouwburg. The winner of the Big Brother Audience Award is […]
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Dutch Minister reveals plans for dragnet surveillance
Ronald Plasterk, the Dutch Minister of the Interior, wants to make sure that the Dutch secret services have the powers to spy on the behaviour of all citizens and gain insight in all of their communications: phone calls, emails, chat messages and website visits. This much is clear after he published an update of the […]
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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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Edward Snowden honoured during Dutch Big Brother Awards ceremony
On 16 December 2014, EDRi-member Bits of Freedom organised the tenth Dutch Big Brother Awards. The Minister of Security and Justice, Ivo Opstelten, won the (un)popular vote for, among other things, his plans to keep data retention. It is the third time he has won the prize. Professional experts awarded Dutch schools an award for […]
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Dutch government: Let’s keep data retention mostly unchanged
On 18 November, the Dutch government finally issued its response to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruling in April 2014 that invalidated the data retention directive 2006/24/EC. Despite all the debate about the legality of data retention practices, the government wants to retain its current data retention legislation. The Ministry of […]
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