INDEX Q&A: Talking to Europe’s most wired politician

November 1st, 2012

In a world where digital policy is written by politicians who barely know how to send an email, Marietje Schaake is a breath of fresh air. Marta Cooper meets the pioneering Dutch MEP
(more…)

ACTA voted down by European Parliament

July 4th, 2012

The European Parliament today voted to throw out the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). The legislation, which was introduced to combat piracy, came under fire from activists who warned that its vague language threatened digital freedom. In December, the treaty was signed by all 27 government heads included in the European Union, but was not ratified. The treaty had support from countries outside of the EU, including the US, Singapore, and Canada.

EU parliament votes to monitor internet censorship and create rights tzar

April 19th, 2012

The European Parliament overwhelmingly voted in favour of a human rights resolution which calls for new rules to monitor internet censorship under autocratic regimes yesterday. The report’s author Labour MEP Richard Howit recommended an export ban on the technology that can be used to censor or block websites and monitor mobile communications. The reports calls for a coherent European Union policy on the implications technology can have on human rights. The MEP’s report also recommended the implementation of a “human rights tzar” in each of the 130 delegations of the union, who would be responsible for all issues relating to human rights.  

Malta: MEPs asked to raise concerns over censorship

March 31st, 2010

The Maltese Front Against Censorship has asked the country’s MEPs to raise the country’s case in the European Parliament. The Front is concerned with recent infringements on freedom of expression, which include punishment of carnival revellers for dressing up as Christ, the ban of the play Stitching, the threat of a prison sentence to a newspaper editor for publishing an erotic story, and the suspended prison sentence to an artist for offending against the Catholic religion. In February, protesters gathered  in the capital Valetta, against escalating censorship by government agencies.