Paris, 11 January 2017 — On Tuesday 10 January, the European Commission put forward a series of new texts on personal data protection in the EU. It includes the upcoming ePrivacy Regulation which will frame the confidendiality and security of our electronic communications, as well as the famous internet cookies, among other things. Before the legislative process had even started, lobbies from the digital industry and telecom operators collaborated closely to water down as much as possible the reform that was supposed to not only provide better security and confidentiality to electronic communications, but also to give users control of their data back. Nonetheless, civil society has not had its last word just yet. In the coming months, we are set to engage in a harsh legislative battle to make the ePrivacy a really ambitious Regulation that protects our rights and freedoms.

Comme maintenant tous les ans, nous publions ici les comptes de La Quadrature du Net pour l'année 2015 qui ont été approuvés par l'AG du 23 mars 2016.
We publish here our 2015 yearly accounts such as approved by the General Assembly on 23 March 2016.

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Paris, 4 April 2014 — In October 2013, Big Brother Watch, Open Rights Group, English Pen and Constanze Kurz launched a legal challenge1 to the UK's internet surveillance activities before the European Court of Human Rights arguing that the unchecked surveillance through programmes such as PRISM and TEMPORA is a breach of our Right to Privacy. La Quadrature du Net joined a coalition formed to support this legal challenge.

• 1. For more information on the initiative please visit https://www.privacynotprism.org.uk/news/2013/10/03/legal-challenge-to-uk-internet-surveillance.

Brussels, 2 April 2014 — In a few hours the European Parliament will vote on the regulation concerning the European single market for electronic communications. This vote in plenary will be the most important vote on the rights and freedoms of citizens since the rejection of ACTA in July 2012. With the right amendments adopted, this text will put in place solid measures that protect Net Neutrality throughout the European Union. These have been tabled1 but their adoption depends on a small number of votes, especially of those in the liberal group (ALDE). The outcome of the vote will either be the protection of competiton, innovation, users freedom of choice, and the freedom of expression and information or signal the end of the Internet as we know it.

• 1. The amendments tabled by the Social-Democrats (S&D), the Greens (Greens/EFA), the United Left (GUE/NGL) and by the Liberals (ALDE) are very similar on the important points.

Hamburg, 26 December 2013 — La Quadrature du Net's staff, supporters and volunteers will build a common space for cosyness and strategic thinking at the 30th Chaos Communication Congress (30C3) in Hamburg, from Dec 27th to Dec 30th. This unique event will happen for its 30th annual edition the very year Edward Snowden and the GNU project turn 30.

Paris, 13 May 2013 — Pierre Lescure has handed in his report [fr] on culture at the digital era to French President François Hollande1. La Quadrature du Net denounces a flawed political process revealing the harmful influence of industrial groups at all levels of policy-making. How will the French government react to Lescure's proposal to expand the scope of competence of the audiovisual media regulator (CSA) to the Internet? Will it to pursue former President Sarkozy's anti-sharing policies and even supplement them with new ACTA-like measures encouraging online intermediaries to become private copyright police?

• 1. Pierre Lescure lead a committee advising the French government on the future of copyright law Hadopi, the French "three strikes" administration.

Paris, 10 May 2013 — The publication of the report on culture and the Internet requested by French president Hollande to Pierre Lescure – former CEO of Canal +, a major TV station owned by Vivendi-Universal – will be the object of a major media buzz in France. For those interested in what would be ambitious public policies adapted to the digital era, La Quadrature du Net brings back on the table its Elements for the reform of copyright and related cultural policies. Will those 14 propositions, attentive to the freedoms and uses of everyone, to the interests of authors and other contributors, be a part of it, or will the Lescure report perpetuate the repressive policies led by Nicolas Sarkozy?

Paris, Sept. 4th 2012 - The European Commission is holding a consultation -ending on the 5th 11th of September- about "A clean and open Internet". Citizen input is critically needed to ensure that freedom of expression is protected, against the attempts of many lobbies to impose draconian repressive procedures to censor online content.

It's easy to call a Member of the European Parliament, and it's fun !

Paris, February 3rd, 2012 – Sharing: Culture and the Economy in the Internet Age is out! Philippe Aigrain, co-founder of La Quadrature du Net, in collaboration with Suzanne Aigrain, describes the creative contribution, a financial model designed to sustain an expanding creative economy in a context where sharing is recognized as a right.

Paris, November 17th, 2011 – The European Parliament today massively adopted its resolution on Net neutrality, calling on the EU Commission to protect the open Internet, which is put at risk by an increasing number of restrictions imposed by telecoms operators. This overall positive resolution urges EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes to depart from her failed wait-and-see approach by rapidly assessing the need for further regulation to keep the Internet open and free. This votes represent a political commitment by the European Parliament to protecting the Internet from any form of restriction or censorship.

The European body of telecommunications regulators has launched a consultation on its draft guidelines on "Net neutrality and transparency". Quite shockingly, these guidelines have actually nothing to do with Net neutrality, and instead readily accept that telecom operators can restrict access to the Internet as long as users are informed. They only prove that mere transparency and competition will not prevent operators from violating Net neutrality.

La Quadrature du Net has written to two key committees of the European Parliament regarding the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). As the EU Parliament engages in preparatory works in view of its upcoming consent vote on ACTA, La Quadrature stresses that the Parliament must fully assess the dangers of this agreement for innovation, competition and competitiveness of EU businesses, but also for human rights.

La Quadrature has sent its response to the consultation1 on online gambling organised by the European Commission. Citizens and NGOs should join our effort in urging the EU public authorities to ban any form of website blocking.

• 1. See http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/consultations/2011/online_gambling_en.htm