Net Neutrality
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Net Neutrality: BEREC misses opportunity to lead the way
In November 2015, the European Union adopted the Net Neutrality Regulation (2015/2120), which contained a number of compromises that needed clarification. The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) was given the task of developing implementation guidelines to ensure a consistent application of the Regulation throughout Europe and, in practice, settle the remaining ambiguities […]
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UN Rapporteur demands respect for freedom of expression online
The United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression David Kaye has released a new report, which gives an overview of the problems for freedom of expression and opinion in the Telecommunications and Internet Access Sector. The report also provides general recommendations for states […]
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Looking back on our 2016 victories
Technological advancements in the digital world create new opportunities but also new challenges for human rights. Especially in the past year, the fear of extremism on the one side and extreme measures on the other resulted in the desire for swift political action and made defending citizen’s rights and freedoms online a difficult task. In […]
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Dutch ban on zero-rating struck down – major blow to net neutrality
20 April 2017 was a bad day for net neutrality in the Netherlands, and possibly also in the rest of Europe. The court of Rotterdam struck down the general ban on price discrimination, including zero-rating, as enacted in the Dutch Telecommunications Act. The court held that the categorical ban on price discrimination is “evidently” in […]
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#NetCompetition wants an improved Electronic Communications Code
Today, on 13 March 2017, #NetCompetition, an alliance of consumer organisations, service providers and network operators, digital rights organisations and online content providers, adopted its position paper on the European Commission’s proposal for a European Electronic Communications Code. Despite some general positive aspects, we have concluded that the proposed Directive to establish a European Electronic Communications […]
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Are net neutrality and privacy Europe’s brilliant way of trumping destructionism?
For the online economy to work, trust and competition are needed. Trust to drive take-up of services and competition to drive down prices and drive up innovation. Privacy The 2016 Eurobarometer (pdf) survey found that nearly 60% of individuals in the EU had avoided certain websites for privacy reasons, while 82% were in favour of […]
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2017 – another extremely challenging year for digital rights
The agenda of the year 2016 for the protection of digital rights was filled with challenges, and it looks like 2017 is not going to be any easier.
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Net neutrality violations ceased after AKVorrat intervention
On 5 October 2016, EDRi observer AKVorrat Austria filed a complaint with Austrian telecoms regulator RTR against mobile operator Hutchison Drei based on Drei’s violations of net neutrality principles. Now the operator has given in and stopped the offending practice. At the same time, Drei has more than quadrupled data volumes included in its data […]
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New leaks confirm TiSA proposals that would undermine civil liberties
Today, on 25 November 2016, German blog Netzpolitik.org in association with Greenpeace published new leaked documents concerning the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), a “trade” agreement that is currently being negotiated between 23 members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), including the European Union.
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What digital rights are at imminent risk? All of them.
Our civil rights in the digital environment are based on our rights to protect our personal security and data, our right to communicate freely, and our right for any restrictions to be necessary, predictable and proportionate. Every one of these rights is now under imminent threat.
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Net neutrality wins in Europe!
New net neutrality guidelines from the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) confirm strong protection for net neutrality, and for the free and open internet, in the European Union. Europe is now a global standard-setter in the defence of the open, competitive and neutral internet. We congratulate BEREC on its diligent work, its […]
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EU Telecom Regulators meet to analyse over 500 000 consultation responses
Brussels, 1 August 2016. Tomorrow, telecom regulators from all over the EU will gather in Brussels for a uniquely challenging task: analysing over half a million responses to their consultation on net neutrality. Meanwhile, telecom companies are maintaining their attacks on the open internet – this time by pushing to delete paragraphs regarding free speech […]
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