Victories
We work hard to make change happen!
Our victories timeline
From inception to the 44 member strong network of grassroots digital rights activists that we have become today, here's a walk through our hall of fame.
2021
A clear no to the privatization of electronic identity
In Switzerland, the parliament has passed an E-ID that should be issued by corporations. EDRi's observer Digitale Gesellschaft Schweiz has launched a referendum against this law. The Swiss electorate rejected the E-ID law with a clear 64.4% No vote. Now the way is clear for a governmental electronic identity with good data protection.
2020
The 'Thousands of Cameras' Initiative
In December, the "Thousands of Cameras" (#hiljadekamera) initiative, led by EDRi's member SHARE Foundation, launched a crowdfunding campaign to continue the battle against biometric video surveillance in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The goal was to reach 1.000.000 Serbian dinars (around 8.5000 Euros). The campaign was a success as 116% of the goal was collected from more than 300 citizens.
Considering the human rights impact of AI
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted recommendations by EDRi members: Access Now and the Wikimedia Foundation to consider the human rights impacts of algorithmic systems.
Influencing COVID-apps development: Checked
When the Dutch government announced the development of a contact tracing app to fight the Corona pandemic, EDRi's member Bits of Freedom launched a manifest with ten principles for protecting our freedoms and rights, our security and social cohesion. The Ministry of Public Health recognised the importance of these principles, and when the app was launched in September, many had been incorporated.
GFF to the rescue
For the first time ever, the German constitutional court recognised that the fundamental rights enshrined in the German constitution do apply when German agencies surveil non-Germans abroad. The law that EDRi member Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF) managed to have invalidated, authorised Germany’s secret agency Bundesnachrichtendienst BND to wiretap internet traffic globally – and to track certain people or organisations without cause. This law completely ignored the freedom of open and private communication and was therefore, amongst others, harmful to the work of journalists and activists abroad.
Convincing top dogs
Thanks to EDRi's work the European Parliament's three Own Initiative Reports on the Digital Services Act have a strong fundamental rights focus and ask the EU Commission to propose ground-breaking regulation on things like content moderation rules, interoperability rights, and enforcement bodies.
Swiss Federal Court approves appeal against mass surveillance
Every Swiss resident is under surveillance by the Swiss secret service without cause or suspicion, via cable surveillance. The Swiss Federal Supreme Court has approved the appeal by EDRi's observer Digitale Gesellschaft Schweiz against this form of surveillance unrestrictedly. Now the Swiss Federal Administrative Court has to investigate if the 'system' of the radio and cable surveillance does indeed violate the fundamental rights of any individual affected and if – in order to ensure adequate protection of basic human rights - this practice may have to be terminated entirely.
Avia law declared unconstitutional
Thanks to EDRi members' joint advocacy efforts, France's Constitutional Court struck down the core of the French online hate speech law, which would have turned social media companies into an internet police and severely undermined people's freedom of expression.
Demanding better data protection across seas
Schrems II case wins EU Court of Justice case making the Privacy Shield invalid.
Can't get away with breaking the law
Research by EDRi's member Bits of Freedom revealed that none of the 36 'mission critical' systems of the police complies with the laws on privacy and information security. These are the systems for registering multiple offenders and vehicle registration numbers, recording reports and interrogations, exchanging information between agents, processing fingerprints, analyzing large mountains of sensitive data and many other functions. Bits of Freedom called on the data protection authority to enforce the law and the Ministry of Justice and Security to also pay attention to compliance in the upcoming review of the relevant laws.
Transparency for institutions, privacy for the people
EDRi's member Xnet published its report on Institutionalised Abuses in Privacy and Data Protection and launched a campaign to stop the monopoly of GAFAM in Education. They successfully started a pilot of their prototype with the City Council of Barcelona.
2019
Net Neutrality in danger
EDRi member epicenter.works, in cooperation with the Austrian Chamber of Labour, presented a study that inspected the websites of 225 mobile services over a period of 4 months, uncovering 186 Net Neutrality violations. These revelations were discussed by over 30 media in 15 countries.
Having an impact
EDRi member Metamorphosis Foundation was invited by North Macedonia‘s Ministry of Justice to nominate a member of the working group on the creation of the new Law on Personal Data Protection, consistent to the GDPR.
Link tax prevented
In a surprise move, the Swiss parliament passed an ancillary copyright for press publishers. The proposal was for a link tax that would be more severe than what the EU had decided. Two days after a big demonstration in Zurich, EDRi's observer Digitale Gesellschaft Schweiz was invited to the parliament, which subsequently stopped the link tax.
Getting Big Tech to respect the law
EDRi's member SHARE Foundation called upon 20 companies from different parts of the world - including tech giants Facebook and Google - to appoint their data protection representatives in Serbia, as it was their obligation under the new Serbian Law on Personal Data Protection. Complaints to the Data Protection Commissioner were also filed as companies failed to appoint representatives. In May 2020, Google named its representative in Serbia, and as of April 2021, other major companies such as Netflix, Snap, Alibaba and Yandex also named their local representatives as a result of SHARE Foundation's initiative.
Keeping things in order
EDRi member Privacy International won a Supreme Court case in the UK ensuring that the Investigatory Powers Tribunal overseeing intelligence services is now subject to judicial review.
The Public Domain Safeguard
Wikimedia, together with Communia and Europeana, managed to include one of the few unambiguously positive provisions in the Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive: the Public Domain Safeguard.
Guarding freedom of expression
EDRi co-organised, along with EDRi members Access Now and Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), an event in the European Parliament featuring Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. As a result of this work EDRi succeeded in influencing the European Parliament Report to avoid the worst threats to freedom of expression.
Net neutrality introduced in Switzerland
After a five-year campaign, the Swiss parliament has codified net neutrality into law. The law is based on a draft by EDRi's observer Digitale Gesellschaft Schweiz. Regulation is stricter than in the EU, as economic discrimination (zero-rating) is now also explicitly prohibited.
Artificial intelligence
Start of our work on AI, facial recognition and biometrics culminating in a series of blog posts on facial recognition and other biometric identification and surveillance technologies. The articles gained attention from NGOs, universities, media outlets and MEPs, demonstrating EDRi’s thought leadership on these emerging digital rights challenges.
The European Union Terrorist Content Online Regulation
The original proposal presented serious risks for fundamental rights online, specifically on privacy and freedom of expression. The proposal to impose upload filters to detect "terrorist content" and the incentives for companies to regulate speech online without redress mechanisms was criticized by UN Special Rapporteurs, the Council of Europe and the Fundamental Rights Agency. We co-organised, along with EDRi members Access Now and Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), an event in the European Parliament featuring Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. As a result of our work we succeeded in influencing the European Parliament Report to avoid the worst threats to freedom of expression.
#7 of Privacy Camp
The seventh annual Privacy Camp conference brought together over 230 representatives of civil society, policy-makers and academia to discuss existing and looming problems for human rights in the digital environment. In the face of a “shrinking civic space” for collective action, the event provided a platform to discuss and develop shared principles to address key challenges for digital rights and the freedoms of individuals.
#FakeYou
EDRi's member Xnet sold two editions of its book on disinformation - "#FakeYou: Governments, political parties, mass media, corporations, great fortunes: monopolies of information manipulation and threats to freedom of expression," and successfully crafted a law on it.
2018
Bits of Freedom got it right
EDRi member Bits of Freedom formed a European coalition of organisations that helped residents make the most of their rights under the GDPR with the online tool My Data Done Right.
First small victory for Wikimedia
Wikimedia sued the NSA over surveillance and the court ruled that there is a “legal standing”.
Do It Yourself
EDRi's member Xnet discovered a new way for civil society to propose laws in the Spanish Parliament.
How to turn ‘Yes’ to a ‘No’
EDRi member Bits of Freedom won the dragnet surveillance bill referendum.
Chasing the wrongdoers
EDRi member noyb filed a complaint against Google in 2018 (the day the GDPR became applicable). This resulted in the French data protection authority (CNIL) issuing a record-breaking fine of 50 million euros against Google.
Joint perspective on law enforcement data
The civil society coalition led with our member Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) asking for inclusive participation of civil society in the Council of Europe’s negotiations on access to data by law enforcement in the context of criminal investigations, submitting substantive input for the negotiations, and presenting our perspective to more than 60 country representatives.
#Participation and Democracy
EDRi's member Xnet held an interactive performance-conference which raised the question of public democratic participation, the current challenges and possible solutions.
Ground breaking clauses
The ground-breaking clauses adopted by the European Commission upgrading data protection safeguards in trade agreements, building on the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) success and following civil society pressure.
Saving your internet
Our major SaveYourInternet.eu campaign to act upload filters in the Copyright Directive which engaged supporters to send 150 000 emails, 15 000 tweets and hundreds of phone calls to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), and resonated in major national media. The campaign led to the rejection of the text by the European Parliament Plenary in the summer and to a renegotiation in committee. The text was eventually adopted in plenary later in the year.
Hip hip hurray!
EDRi celebrates its 15th anniversary
2017
Big ideas coming true
EDRi member Digitale Gesellschaft initiated the biggest ever German digital rights civil-society alliance against the Anti-Hate-Speech-Law (NetzDG).
Recognising digital rights work in Serbia
The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection of Serbia honoured EDRi's member SHARE Foundation with a certificate of gratitude for the affirmation of the right to personal data protection.
Pushing for ePrivacy
The Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament voted to push a strong ePrivacy Regulation forward.
Whistleblowers against corruption
EDRi's member Xnet launched in the Barcelona City Hall the first public Anti-Corruption Complaint Box using anonymity protection technology like Tor and GlobaLeaks. Later, it expanded this project, facilitating citizens to use tools that enable them to send information in a secure and privacy-guaranteeing way, by replicating it in other cities as well.
We have a vision and we act
EDRi led a global coalition of civil rights groups to ensure harmonisation of the Council of Europe’s new rules on cross-border access to e-evidence with the highest human rights standards. The Council of Europe welcomed EDRi’s suggestions on the new protocol.
Advocacy wins
EDRi member epicenter.works sucessfully campaigned against the ‘security package’ legislation introduced by the former Austrian government. In the course of seven months, 10 out of 12 proposed measures were abandoned.
The Digital Age: Technopolitics & Rights
EDRi's member Xnet established the postgraduate course "Tecnopolítica y Derechos en la Era Digital" which attracts many students from across Spain and beyond every two years. The course aims to form active actors in the new models of strategic action fostered by the information age.
Invite accepted!
EDRi became a founding member in the United Nations (UN) Dynamic Coalition on Digital Trade.
Pushing for ePrivacy
The Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament votes to push a strong ePrivacy Regulation forward.
See something you like?
EDRi grows to 35 member organisations.
2016
Superheroes for privacy
EDRi and its SavetheInternet.eu partners campaigned furiously, meeting repeatedly with the Council Presidency, Regulators, Member State representatives and key individuals in the Parliament. As a result of this work, the European Regulators group BEREC took the necessary steps to keep broadband networks open, accessible, reliable and affordable for everyone across the EU and set a global example.
Building success
EDRi member SHARE contributed to derailing a Draft Strategy on Intellectual Property 2016-2020 by the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development.
It's showtime
EDRi's member Xnet organised the "Hazte banquero" show on how to fight corruption with digital tools which attracted an audience of 10,000 people in Spain.
Showing leadership across Europe
EDRi’s Romanian member Association for technology and Internet (ApTI) led public debates regarding controversial proposals from the Romanian government and the Romanian Intelligence Agency (SRI) regarding the right to privacy. The public debates and actions led to four decisions in the past ten years by the Romanian Constitutional Court that agreed with the organisation’s position.
Scored a big one
#netneutrality was a huge success and was achieved throughout in Europe.
Privacy is a priority
The Czech Data Protection Authority (DPA) in April 2016 took action based on a complaint by EDRi member IURE, which ordered the destruction of about three million cards with the blood samples (meaning also DNA) of all newborns. These samples were collected and then unreasonably kept indefinitely in connection with the implementation of a predisposition test for some severe diseases since the 1980s.
The Verdict is WIN
EDRi member epicenter.works successfully achieved the invalidation of the Data Retention Directive (2006/24/EC) by the CJEU in 2014, in a joined case with EDRi member Digital Rights Ireland.
Taking back control over our personal data
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is adopted - EDRi played a key role in the civil society efforts leading up to this victory
Growth
EDRi grows to 31 member organisations
2015
Copyright on the win
EDRi influenced the inclusion of some of its suggestions in the Parliament’s resolution on the copyright reform.
Data protection and privacy
EDRi greatly influenced the EU’s Data Protection Regulation (Article 11, Article 23, Article 32).
The anonymous box
EDRi's member Xnet opens a Globaleaks anonymous box to fight against corruption, help to solve several corruption cases and stars its advocacy work on whistleblowers.
Don’t Block, Don’t Filter
EDRi successfully campaigned for the deletion of passage records in Article 3 of the Net Neutrality Regulation, which foresaw the possibility for internet access providers to block and filter communications.
Safe Harbour? Maybe not!
The Court of Justice of the EU deemed the “SAFE Harbour’ agreement invalid which EDRI had been vocally advocating for.
Net neutrality
EU adopts a Regulation to safeguard Net neutrality which contains many of EDRi’s demands.
Crystal ball
The 300th edition of the EDRi-gram is published: Digital rights news from 2025.
2014
Checked and Balanced
EDRi member SHARE Foundation wrote a legal and technical analysis of the proposal to amend the Gambling Law and called all relevant actors to join the fight against the proposed amendments. The Government of Serbia soon pulled the proposal from the parliamentary procedure.
Strengthening networks of solidarity
The Internet Ungovernance Forum was co-organised by EDRi member Alternative Informatics Association (Alternatif Bilişim) in Turkey.
Inspiring activism
EDRi facilitated direct citizen participation in the democratic processes of the EU. EDRi’s answering guide for citizens on youcan.fixcopyright.eu and work with the Copyright 4 Creativity coalition lead to over 11,000 replies to the EU Commission’s copyright consultation.
The end of an era
EDRi's member Xnet leaked the most important files in Spain at the time ("Los Correos de Blesa").
What do you mean “biased”?
EDRi successfully persuaded the IP Observatory to abandon its biased report on copyright infringements in the digital world.
Saved the Internet
EDRi successfully campaigned for the adoption of crucial amendments by the European Parliament to ensure net neutrality protections.
Breaking the law
The European Court of Justice decided that the Data Retention Directive, an EU legislation on mass surveillance, contravenes European law, thanks to a case brought by EDRi-member Digital Rights Ireland and AK Vorrat Ireland.
Flying safe, keeping data safer
After a short and fierce campaign, EDRi achieved a major victory for civil liberties with regard to ongoing Passenger Name Record (PNR) initiatives.
We get the job done!
As a result of EDRi’s advocacy work and public campaigning, the draft text for voluntary blocking/filtering measures in the “Telecoms single market” proposal was removed by a majority the EU Parliament in April 2014.
Holiday surveillance
The European Parliament refers the EU-Canada air passenger surveillance measure (PNR) to the Court of Justice of the EU
We promise, we deliver
EDRi successfully concluded the WePromise campaign that put digital rights on the agenda of the EU elections.
Feeling invalidated
The Court of Justice of the European Union declares the Data Retention Directive invalid.
2013
Brought it home!
The European Parliament called for a suspension of the SWIFT.
Reforming data protection
EDRi’s intensive work over 2011-2013 supporting data protection reform led to an improvement of several important elements of the original European Commission proposal by the European Parliament committee responsible for the dossier agreement, one of EDRi's longstanding demands.
We think, we say, we do
EDRi was the only organisation that was invited to speak at two panels of the Internet 2013 Conference of the OSCE. EDRi spoke about copyright enforcement and “self-regulation” by internet intermediaries.
A strong vote
The Civil Liberties Committee of the European Parliament holds a crucial vote to strengthen data protection rules
Happy Birthday to us!
EDRi celebrates its 10th anniversary with Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission.
2012
Adios Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)
Along with EDRi, many NGOs and international organisations advocated for the rejection of ACTA, which was a plurilateral agreement for the purpose of establishing international standards for the enforcement of intellectual property rights. It aimed to establish an international legal framework for targeting counterfeit goods and medicines and copyright infringements on the Internet. After months of debates, a large majority of Parliamentarians voted against the adoption.
After the Big Dogs
EDRi member Digitale Gesellschaft launched a campaign against Vodafone’s net neutrality violations (halbesnetz.de).
The Civic society did it
EDRi's member Xnet launched 15MPARATO, an online anonymous citizen devise, and after five years of work, it successfully send to jail the former Director of the International Monetary Fund and the former Minister of Economy of Spain because of their economic behaviour.
Europe demands
Several tens of thousands of citizens from an estimated 200 cities in Europe went out in the streets on 11 February 2012, in a massive pan-European protest against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade (ACTA) and to support digital civil rights.
Setting standards since 2012
EDRi finalises it's work on the Advisory Board of the UNESCO study on global privacy standards.
Busted!
EDRi publishes secret documents of the Clean IT project that showed plans for large-scale, undemocratic surveillance of all communications.
Data protection
The EU Commission proposes a reform of the 1995 Data Protection Directive.
2011
Regulating national politics
The Czech Constitutional court accepted EDRi member IURE’s constitutional complaint supported by 53 Members of the Parliament and cancelled national data retention regulation. This act is important for the interpretation of the text when searching for the limits of right to privacy in the Czech Republic.
ACT accordingly
European Parliament rejects the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).
For fairer politics
EDRi's member Xnet along with many other citizens prepared the soon-to-be-know Indignados Movement. As part of its contribution, Xnet became the headquarter of the movement in Barcelona and developed a device, Aritmetica20N, which uses math to ensure fair elections.
Dialogue on download
EDRi participates in the EU’s Stakeholders' Dialogue on Illegal Up- and Downloading.
No mandatory internet filtering
In 2009, when the initiative was re-launched by the Commission, EDRi’s newly-opened office led a campaign at national and European level. EDRi urged Parliamentarians to vote against mandatory web blocking as it would have hidden serious crimes instead of deleting the material and prosecuting the perpetrators. In June 2011, the Parliament rejected mandatory blocking.
2010
EDRi saves the day
EDRi stopped the proposal for mandatory EU-wide web blocking.
Supporting leaders
EDRi member Access Now were finalists at the European Union’s 2010 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought!
It's all connected
EDRi participates in the High Level Expert Group of the EU Commission on the Internet of Things.
Spain actively working on the Copyright bill
EDRi's member Xnet, after leading the campaigns, Molina Pirate and SindePirate, founded the "Red Sostenible" campaign to fight against the copyright fanatics bill. Based on their continuous efforts in Spain, 200 000 people actively worked against the bill.
Bigger and better
EDRi grows to 29 member organisations.
And the winner is
EDRi organises the European Data Protection Award.
2009
Inspiring good policy
EDRi member Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR) produced a report, Database State, for the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust. The key liberal and Quaker charity criticised several government IT systems for being unsafe and illegal. This report became Liberal Democrat policy, and once they were in power, some of it was implemented.
La Crème de la crème
EDRi's member Xnet launched the Free Culture Forum, an international Citizens Rights Observatory in the Digital Era, which brought together key organisations and active voices to for seven years to work together on answers to the pressing questions that arise from the current paradigm shift challenging democracy in the network society.
New Media Expert
EDRi is accredited with an observer status to the Council of Europe Committee of experts on New Media.
Home sweet home
EDRi Brussels office opens in Brussels, Belgium
2008
A legend was born
EDRi's member from Spain Xnet comes to life with the top-notch name "eXgae" and it lays the foundations of its 2,000-people annual event in the glammy salon Apolo.
Digital rights are fundamental rights
EDRi attends first meeting of the Fundamental Rights Platform alongside around 100 other NGOs in Vienna, Austria
Retaining rights
EDRi signs the amicus curiae brief initiated by Arbeitskreis Vorratsdatenspeicherung to ask the EU Court of Justice to annul data retention
2007
On the streets
EDRi members CCC, FIfF, FoeBuD and Netzwerk Neue Medien co-corganise the largest anti-surveillance street protest in Germany in 20 years.
Recognised expert
EDRi participates in the EU Commission’s RFID Expert Group
2006
On the watch
The European Parliament asked Statewatch to host all the documents from their inquiry into ‘rendition’ – that is, the CIA’s global kidnapping and torture programme, as part of the ‘war on terror’ – on their website. This provided a major resource for those trying to expose and challenge what was going on.
Internet Governance
EDRi participates in the first global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Greece
25 members
EDRi grows to 25 members in 16 countries
We said, back off US
EDRi welcomes the annulment by the European Court of Justice of the EU-US agreement on the transfer of passenger name records (PNR)
Data Directed
The Data Retention Directive is adopted
2005
Kicking some a**s
EDRi helps defeat the Software Patents proposal.
Taking over the world
EDRi writes a special edition of the EDRi-gram live from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
What the Hack
EDRi launches a broad campaign against the EU's Data Retention proposal at the "What The Hack" conference
IT-Pol for the win!
EDRi member IT-Political Association of Denmark (IT-Pol) successfully advocated for a resolution (B-103) for open standards in IT systems used by the government, which the Parliament adopted unanimously.
2004
Interwebz
EDRi launches a new website and logo
Standing united against data retention
EDRi and 90 civil rights organisations from across the globe sign a statement against the plans for mandatory data retention in the EU.
Back off US
EDRi signs a TACD resolution against the transfer of airline Passenger Name Record (PNR) data to US government agencies
IP Baby
EU adopts the contested Directive for the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRED)
2003
Ladies and gentlemen, EDRi presents
EDRi presents the Big Brother Awards in 14 different countries
Starting a tradition
First EDRi-gram is published
It’s EDRi, pleased to meet you!
EDRi is formally registered as Belgian NGO
2002
Electronic Frontier Norway (EFN) in the spotlight
In the “DVD Jon” court case, Jon Lech Johansen was sued and arrested for decrypting a DVD copy control system to view DVDs on the Linux operating system and for writing the programme that enabled the availability on the internet. EDRi member EFN advocated for his acquittal and full redress, which brought EFN national media attention in 2001-2002.
Once upon a time: The Beginning
Ten civil rights groups from across Europe come together to found European Digital Rights (EDRi): Bits of Freedom (NL) Chaos Computer Club (DE) Digital Rights (DK), EFFi (FI), FIPR (UK), Fitug (DE), IRIS (FR), Privacy International (UK) Quintessenz (AT), VIBE!AT (AT)
