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…

On 8 June, 34 civil society organisations from 17 countries published a joint statement to raise their concerns with Commissioner Margrethe Vestager’s and Commissioner Thierry  Breton’s public statement to alter the regulatory framework underpinning the free and open internet.

The Commissioners…

In a press conference held today, the European Commission has initiated the end of privacy and confidentiality of communications on the internet in Europe. The proposed new legislation would require hosting and messenger providers to search the content of their users for potentially illegal content…

The European Union is about to redefine the ecodesign criteria for products in several legislative proposals, including the Sustainable Product Initiative, the Circular Electronics Initiative, and the Right to Repair. These proposals aim at extending the usage time of hardware and facilitating…

As internet activists who work to promote a free and open internet, we are watching the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and the reactions around the world very closely. A free and open internet essentially allows a global exchange between all people, regardless of national borders,…

In June 2021 the European Commission launched a reform of the 2014 eIDAS Regulation to overhaul Europe’s framework for electronic identity (eID) systems. This ambitious reform tries to create a counterbalance to the widespread login systems of Google, Facebook and Apple, as well as to provide…

Today, 30 November 2021, 115 civil society organisations, including epicenter.works and European Digital Rights (EDRi) launched a collective statement to call for an Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA) which foregrounds fundamental rights.

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The statement, drafted by European Digital…