Net Neutrality

Net neutrality means that the Internet has no gatekeeper. It encompasses all the issues related to the circulation of information on the Internet, such as free speech, access to knowledge, copyright or innovation. Thanks to this principle, everyone retain the freedom to access and produce the information they want.

But this funding principle of the Internet is now under threat, as some telecom operators and content industries want to develop business-models based on the prioritization of certain information flows by taking control of the network. Also, governments threaten Net neutrality by seeking to implement filtering techniques in order to re-establish the kind of control they used to have on traditional and unidirectional media.

ACTA

ACTA is one more offensive against the sharing of culture on the Internet. ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) is an agreement secretly negotiated by a small "club" of like-minded countries (39 countries, including the 27 of the European Union, the United States, Japan, etc). Negotiated instead of being democratically debated, ACTA bypasses parliaments and international organizations to dictate a repressive logic dictated by the entertainment industries.

ACTA, a blueprint for laws such as SOPA and PIPA, would impose new criminal sanctions forcing Internet actors to monitor and censor online communications. It is thus a major threat to freedom of expression online and creates legal uncertainty for Internet companies. In the name of trademarks and patents, it would also hamper access to generic medicines in poor countries.

The European Parliament now has an ultimate opportunity to reject ACTA.

Anti-sharing directive - IPRED

IPRED is a European directive which harmonises civil (and soon, penal) sanctions at the EU level for any kind of “intellectual property” infringement: copyright, patents, trademarks and design, plant breeders rights, etc. It organises the repression against sharers, remixers, developers, hackers and inventors of all kinds.

The EU Commission wants to modify IPRED to “adapt” it to the digital environment. This means expanding the war on sharing on the Internet, in direct continuation of ACTA's goals. IPRED calls for large scale filtering of the Internet to thwart file sharing. Search engines, hosting services, websites and Internet access providers would be forced to control the communications of Internet users. » Read more

Net filtering

Internet has been built as a decentralized network, in which no party can unilaterally decide to block the information flowing through the communications architecture. However, this founding principle of Net neutrality is now put into question by several legislative projects that seek to impose administrative filtering and blocking of websites. Whether it is online gambling, violent or pedopornographic content, but also defamation or copyright infringement, a growing number of democratic government are considering this mode of regulation of the Internet both ineffective and extremely dangerous for civil liberties. » Read more

Online Services Directive

The “online services directive” (also known as e-Commerce directive) was adopted in 2000. It covers a wide range of topics but most importantly, it strikes a legal balance that protects Internet users' freedom of communication by limiting the liability of so-called “technical intermediaries”, such as Internet access providers and hosting services. The directive also prevents public authorities from forcing intermediaries to monitor their users' activities.

These liability exemptions protect free speech as well as privacy, and guarantee the democratic nature of the network. They also allow for new services and applications to be deployed without being hindered by burdensome legal requirements, thus sustaining a dynamic digital economy. » Read more

Proposals

Telecoms Package

The "Telecoms Package" is a set of five European Directives regulating electronic communication networks. The text was voted in first reading in the European Parliament in Sept.24th 2008. Serious problems arose in this first reading on the issues of Privacy, Network neutrality and regarding the implementation of a mechanism known as "graduated response" at the European level. » Read more