European Digital Rights launches

Press release
13 June 2002
 
 
European Digital Rights: an international civil rights organisation for
the internet
 
 
European Digital Rights, an international civil rights organisation for
the internet, has been founded during a meeting in Berlin on June 8, 2002.
Ten privacy and freedoms organisations from seven different countries in
the European Union have joined forces and founded European Digital Rights
to defend the civil rights in Europe in the digital age of information-
and communication technology. European Digital Rights will be based in
Brussels.
 
European Digital Rights (EDRi) is an association in which existing
European privacy and freedoms organisations work together in raising
awareness of policy makers and the public about the upcoming threats to
our privacy and freedoms. European Digital Rights will focus its
activities towards developments in the European Union and the Council of
Europe.
 
The need for cooperation among European organisations is increasing as
more regulation for the internet, privacy and interception is originating
from the European Union. Especially since 11 September the pace in which
civil rights threatening regulation has been passed demands unified action
from the defenders of these rights. Some examples of regulations and
developments that have the attention of European Digital Rights are data
retention requirements, telecommunications interception, the cyber-crime
treaty, initiatives for rating and filtering of internet content, notice
and takedown procedures of websites and fair use restrictions.
 
The founding members of European Digital Rights are: Bits of Freedom
(Netherlands), Chaos Computer Club (CCC, Germany), Digital Rights
(Denmark), Electronic Frontier Finland (EFFi, Finland), Foundation for
Information Policy Research (FIPR, United Kingdom), Förderverein
Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft (FITUG, Germany), Imaginons un réseau
Internet solidaire (IRIS, France), Privacy International (United Kingdom),
Quintessenz (Austria) and Verein für Internet-Benutzer (VIBE!AT, Austria).
 
European Digital Rights (EDRi): www.edri.org