Who are we?

What is La Quadrature?

La Quadrature du Net is a non-profit association that defends the rights and freedom of citizens on the Internet. More specifically, it advocates for the adaptation of French and European legislation to the founding principles of the Internet, most notably the free circulation of knowledge. As such, La Quadrature du Net engages in public-policy debates concerning, for instance, freedom of expression, copyright, regulation of telecommunications and online privacy.

See our strategic review.

In addition to its advocacy work, the group also aims to foster a better understanding of legislative processes among citizens. Through the dissemination of specific and pertinent information and tools, La Quadrature du Net hopes to encourage citizen participation in public debates on rights and freedom in the digital age.

The Board and the “Strategic Directions Council”

The “Directions Council”, responsible for making strategic decisions, is composed of 8 members, mostly founders of La Quadrature du Net:

  • Philippe Aigrain, ex-president of the association, computer scientist and writer. He has authored Sharing: Culture and the Economy in the Internet Age.
  • Benjamin Bayart, co-president of La Quadrature du Net and president of French Data Network, a French non-profit organisation which provides the same services as an ISP.
  • Laurent Chemla is the founder of GANDI, a domain name registrar and cloud hosting company. He was also one of the pioneers in the defence of digital freedoms and today runs a couple of projects to increase user independence.
  • Lionel Maurel, curator of the Library of Contemporary International Documentation (BDIC) and co-founder of the Savoirs Com1 initiative.
  • Yoann Spicher, formerly member of the operational team as campaign manager, currently PhD student at Paris VIII doing a thesis on the politicisation of the technical issues in the digital age.
  • Benjamin Sonntag, treasurer of the association, engineer, CEO of a Linux hosting and Internet operator company, and free software developer.
  • Félix Tréguer, co-president of the association, researcher in law and political sciences, PhD candidate, specialised the issues of freedom of expression and surveillance.
  • Jérémie Zimmermann, formerly full-time spokesperson for the association, and engineer consultant specialized in co-operative free/libre technology.

Although Gérald Sédrati-Dinet was a founding member of La Quadrature du Net, he did not wish to take part on this Council.

They are assisted by:

  • Mathieu Labonde, in charge of the administration of the association,
  • Okhin, in charge of maintenance and development of tools,
  • Arthur Messaud, legal expert,
  • Marine Strazielle, art director,
  • Myriam Michel, coordinator of the operation team,

The collective is composed of many citizens, nationals of various countries, who contribute to the advancement of the actions and ideas of La Quadrature du Net.

Support

La Quadrature du Net exists thanks to a great number of individual donations. They represent more than half of our funding and ensure our independence. The actions of volunteers have an even higher value.

La Quadrature is also supported by French, European and International NGOs, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Open Society Institute and Privacy International.

For more information, see the Frequently Asked Questions.