Policy Observatory

The EU and US are currently negotiating a Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The US negotiator, the United States Trade Representative, is reported to be soliciting support for inclusion of provisions from Article 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA) in TTIP and other trade agreements being negotiated by the US. So far so good – the CDA creates liability protections for internet intermediaries, thereby reducing the risk of restrictive measures being imposed by them.

The Finnish parliament decided to continue the expert hearings for the citizens’ initiative on an update to the copyright legislation. The initiative is called “Common Sense For Copyright” and its goal is to correct exaggerated interpretations of the current copyright laws, especially regarding network monitoring and compensation.

Between 15th-19th of September, in the week leading up the first year anniversary of the 13 Necessary and Proportionate Principles, EDRi, the EFF and the coalition behind the Principles will be conducting a Week of Action explaining some of the key guiding principles for surveillance law reform.

In preparation of the next Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which will be held in Istanbul on 2-5 September 2014, the European Commission organises an exchange views with civil society and invited us to participate in a webinar on 7 August. The IGF is a platform where activists, industry, academics and policy-makers discuss and develop solutions to Internet governance problems.

On 5 January 2015, PEN American Center published a report “Global chilling: The impact of mass surveillance on international writers”. The report introduces the results of a survey of writers, to investigate how mass surveillance influences their thinking, research and writing, as well as their views of government surveillance by the US and its impact around the world.

In January 2012, the European Commission, following extensive consultations, published a draft Regulation. After 3 years of discussion following the first proposal being made by the European Commission (and a first reading by the European Parliament that was finalised in 2014), the Council has decided to agree on a new text (a “general approach“) that will be the object of current trialogues.

The trilogue discussions between the three institutions officially started on 24 June 2015 with the first meeting in Brussels. In order to explain the process, EDRi will be publishing information and analysis in a document pool which will be updated as the negotiations advance.