The new Austrian whistleblower protection bill leaves much to be desired. A recent press briefing held by Transparency International, Forum Informationsfreiheit and epicenter.works offered context and explained the bill’s considerable shortcomings and omissions. On 1st February the bill was debated…

The foundations for a Europe-wide digital identity system are just about to be laid. Will Europe get it right and lead on this important topic? Will the EU set a global standard for the protection of sensitive user information and digital identities? Unfortunately, in contrast to early promises,…

The rapid speed at which digital technologies are becoming increasingly connected and penetrate all areas of life also requires constant adaptation of legal regulations. This development also extends to the fighting of crime. Despite existing regulations at the regional level (for example, the…

Online platforms remain tricky terrain. How should we treat this quasi-public space, where anyone who has the necessary reach can speak to and mobilise thousands in the blink of an eye? To achieve something comparable in the analogue era, you needed a broadcast licence, and these licences were…

On 6. December 2022 the Council of the European Union will adopt its General Approach to the reform of the eIDAS regulation. Epicenter.works has obtained the text and issues a strong warning about the unprecedented risk and shortcomings of the new electronic identity system of the EU. The…

A major attack on net neutrality is currently underway at the EU level using the slogan "Fair Share". Under this term, the telecommunications industry wants to massively increase its profits. Major telecom companies are demanding that in the future online content providers should pay for their…

Today is a good day for the open internet and our privacy. The Austrian parliament voted in its EU committee to adopt a resolution that – given the Austrian constitution – has a binding effect on the position of the Austrian government not to agree to the proposal for the controversial child sexual…

Summary

The trend of the Czech Presidency that first became apparent with the third compromise text continues. Industry interests are ranked above fundamental rights concerns of citizens. We see a further eroding of safeguards previously introduced by the Commission and French Presidency. This…

With the publication of our annual transparency report we briefly revisit the year 2021. The second year of the pandemic was again very inspiring, busy and exciting for the team here at epicenter.works.

Although the team spent most of the year working from home, we never lost our sense of…

Whistleblowers have an important corrective function in a democratic society because they expose misconduct like corruption, abuses of power and white-collar crimes. They frequently incur high personal risks. Threats directed against them or even family members are however just the tip of the…