The Austrian constitutional court decided on 11.12.2019 that the surveillance law that permits the use of spying software to read encrypted messages violates the fundamental right to respect for private life (article 8 ECHR), the fundamental right to data protection (§ 1 Austrian data protection…

Government Spyware , Data Retention , Surveillance Package , Privacy and Data Protection

The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) is currently in the process of overhauling their guidelines on the implementation of the Regulation (EU) 2015/2120, which forms the legal basis of the EU’s net neutrality rules. At its most recent plenary, BEREC produced new draft…

Net Neutrality

Update: The vacancy has been filled already. 

 

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epicenter.works defends civil liberties in the digital age, and is committed to a free and open internet. Our main goal is to uphold the fundamental rights to privacy and freedom of speech in the internet. All of our work is closely…

Copyright

A few weeks ago we have filed a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority about the Passenger Name Record. Our aim is to overturn the directive, in other words to virtually abolish it. Four weeks ago the data protection authority has rejected our complaint, which we think is good news,…

PNR

This is a guest post by Eduardo Santos of the Portuguese digital rights organisation D3 - Defesa dos Direitos Digitais. You can find the Portuguese version of this story on D3's website.

 

 

Highlights

 

  • ISPs ignored the Portuguese telecoms regulator ANACOM's recommendations, refusing, among…

Net Neutrality

To foster the debate about one of the most complicated digital rights issues of our time, epicenter.works releases today its first draft for a proposal on platform regulation. What regulation is needed for the digital world we live in and how can we strengthen the values that we need to safeguard in…

Platform Regulation

Three weeks ago we officially lodged a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority against the Passenger Name Record directive - we reported on it earlier this year. After only three weeks, we have now received the response from the data protection authority: The complaint was rejected.…

PNR

Our future with technology is a polarizing topic. While some urge that advancements pose grave threats to personal privacy and other fundamental rights, others believe whole-heartedly in the promise of new technologies to eradicate long-standing inequalities at a pace that humans have been unable –…

Privacy and Data Protection

Together with our German partners from Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte, we are currently fighting to stop the collection of airline passenger data in Europe. To this end we just filed seven complaints in Austria with the Data Protection Authority regarding the practice of processing passenger data…

PNR

The responsibility of communications platforms like Google, Twitter, and Facebook for their users’ online activities is a key factor affecting innovation and free speech in the 21st century. Still, the degree of liability for intermediaries – and the extent of online speech regulation – varies…

Platform Regulation

Press mentions on this topic

Title Date Publication Publication details Type of publication Mentioned
06/25/2025 VIENNA.AT Web yes
06/25/2025 krone.at Web yes
06/25/2025 Vorarlberg Online Web yes
06/25/2025 PULS24 Web yes
06/25/2025 Kleine Zeitung Web yes
06/25/2025 Tiroler Tageszeitung Web yes
06/25/2025 orf.at Web yes
06/25/2025 msn.com Web yes
06/25/2025 noen.at Web yes
06/25/2025 kurier.at Web yes

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02/28/2023 Kleine Zeitung Web no
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