Jan Penfrat

Policy guy EDRi (npub1w4r…8cxz), working on platform regulation, content moderation, data protection and surveillance ads in Europe. For 15+ years in the Brussels maze.

Digital security trainer, Chief Degoogliser, cyclist, lover of the outdoors. Formerly writing for Golem.de.

Views my own.

Pronouns: he/him

#DSA #DMA #Surveillance #Decentralisation #Policy #Privacy #DataProtection #Cycling & #Bikepacking

Matrix ID: @jan:penfrat.net
PGP public key: https://keyoxide.org/B170DFF3794493D851724E8370940C3F58391D26
Work: https://edri.org/about-us/our-team/
Cycling far away: https://biketheworld.blog

Public Key

npub1qda00z7usyqlcqhrq92v8279r2p5hk5muuj6vvmsmeyc2h2t2a9qqqwevs

NIP-05 Address

ilumium_at_eupolicy.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsqx7hh30wgzq0uqt3sz4xr40z34q6tm2d7wfdxxdcdujv9t494wjspz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds9ahrh2

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub1qda00z7usyqlcqhrq92v8279r2p5hk5muuj6vvmsmeyc2h2t2a9qqqwevs

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Published at

2026-11-12T12:20:57Z

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0 Metadata

Event JSON

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Last Notes

2026-05-22 19:09:48 UTC

RE: https://eupolicy.social/@DefendDemocracy/116618939872390882
"The safety guarantee of European digital infrastructure is not that it’s European but that it’s democratic.
European digital infrastructure is presumed to be safer not because of its location, but because of the democratic governance that controls the legal environment in which it operates. The assumption of stable democratic governance is precisely what an authoritarian wave now moving across Europe is putting in doubt."
#note1nch…v5ld

2026-05-21 16:00:17 UTC

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Here are my takeaways from day 2 (and my last one) of #CPDP2026 :
1. Everyone hates the #simplification and #deregulation #Omnibus but the @npub1m96…ag4y defends it regardless.
2. Experts propose very nuanced approaches for how to best protect minors online. So much expertise that #VonDerLeyen and many other lawmakers simply ignore.
3. The state of #DSA / #DMA enforcement is so dire that even orgs with 1st hand evidence of noncompliance don't bother to send it to regulators anymore. /fin 🧵

2026-05-21 07:33:07 UTC

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Oh my, the @npub1m96…ag4y really argues the #deregulation #Omnibus doesn't need an Impact Assessment (which the EU's own #BetterRegulation guidelines normally require), because they had "evidence" from internal Staff Documents, so documents the Commission has written itself. Oh and they had targeted (read: closed-door) conversations with industry.
This is not how independent evidence collection and analysis works!

2026-05-21 07:25:36 UTC

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While the @npub1m96…ag4y rep of course defends the #simplification agenda, Romain Robert from the @npub1shl…f60y makes an important argument: if you wanted to "simplify" #GDPR, lawmakers could have clarified all the challenged items the law still has like #PayOrOK.
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/611/358/075/165/682/original/70eb03a3cd7b628f.jpg

2026-05-21 07:09:50 UTC

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Yay, day 2 of #cpdp2026 starts with a fiery speech by @npub1eq5…2a8j at the Norwegian Consumer Council in favour of proper enforcement of tech regulations to create a "level playing field" for everyone: companies and consumers 🔥

2026-05-20 13:30:11 UTC

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Rolling my eyes at #EU tech industry lobbyist claiming that what Europe needs is #simplification and a "data economy" because without it we can't train #AI and then we cannot do all those "amazing elements" AI can supposedly do. 🙄 #CPDP2026

2026-05-20 13:16:17 UTC

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Okay, turns out I don't manage to participate in many panels after all, but still wanted to highlight @npub1waq…j59j's excellent panel "Beyond age gating" about how to _really_ protect minors online (hint: it's not by banning them from social media). 👏 #CPDP2026

2026-05-20 07:52:59 UTC

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So grateful for Clément Perarnaud of think tank #CEPS to emphasise that #DigitalSovereignty isn't about countries or the EU institutions but about the sovereignty of _people_ 🙏

2026-05-20 07:35:13 UTC

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And yes, let me start like every year by pointing out the problematic list of conference sponsors (similar to #rp26) : Sure it's cool to have a bling bling conference but at what price?
Of course that doesn't mean there can't be good debates here, I will try to contribute to that...
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/605/740/737/069/993/original/727d5c78546bb2db.jpg

2026-05-20 07:28:54 UTC

I know there is #rp26 but I'm at #CPDP2026 in Brussels from now until the end of the week. Will post some thoughts about what I hear and see in this thread 🧵
Expect rants, celebrations and half-baked hot takes. (And PM me if you're here and think we should talk :)
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/605/719/731/796/800/original/c1ce02b35c63b2aa.jpg

2026-05-19 11:32:25 UTC

I wonder how the members of the Special Panel On Child Safety Online convened by @npub1m96…ag4y President #VonDerLeyen think about the fact that the Commission has already made up its mind independent from the expert advice they have been requested to prepare. 🤔
#AgeVerification #AgeGating #MinorsProtection #ChildSafety #DSA

2026-05-18 07:29:57 UTC

European tax payer money is used to fund Israeli #spyware companies. Tell your politicians to stop it!
Sign @npub1w4r…8cxz's petition now: https://crm.edri.org/kiss
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/594/388/020/624/310/original/68fb4ddefdb2b05f.mp4

2026-05-02 08:15:08 UTC

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#AccessNow has now publicly confirmed that they also believe the Chinese government pressured #Zambia into censoring #RightsCon 2026 because of participants from #Taiwan.
The statement of what happened is a testament of how strong the influence of authoritarians has become and how the global #DigitalRights community is a target.
https://www.rightscon.org/rc26-statement/
#censorship #PRC #China #Lusaka

2026-04-30 11:03:36 UTC

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So true. If peaceful protest was "useless," peaceful protestors wouldn't be frequently beaten up by police for it.

2026-04-30 08:18:31 UTC

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TIL check the strings attached to the "donations" you receive:
"...However, well-placed sources have told News Diggers! that #RightsCon has actually been cancelled because the programme involves Taiwanese delegates who would potentially speak against #China at a venue donated by the Chinese government."
https://diggers.news/local/2026/04/30/govt-cancels-rightscon-summit-citing-security-concerns-on-some-delegates/
#PRC #Taiwan #DigitalRights #TheLongArm

2026-04-29 20:45:05 UTC

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Now it's official: #RightsCon 2026 has been censored and cancelled by the government of #Zambia.
This is a loss for the global #DigitalRights community, a bigger one for #AccessNow, and maybe the biggest for #Zambia and the entire region, as future human rights events will think twice before setting foot there. 😪
What a needless waste.
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/489/942/921/123/318/original/d840a9249926efc3.jpg

2026-04-29 15:55:25 UTC

This is absolutely wild: The #Zambia government has just cancelled the world's most important digital rights conference #RightsCon 2026 which was supposed to start next week in #Lusaka. 3,000+ participants are now hanging in limbo (myself included), some already traveled to the country.
I feel for the folks at #AccessNow who have been working so hard on this for months.
https://www.facebook.com/100069038505521/posts/1285179577126647/
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/488/798/410/102/179/original/63e70b3c7d010e1d.png

2026-04-22 10:14:03 UTC

Youth organisations demand social media change, not bans
https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/2089712/youth-organisations-demand-social-media-change-not-bans
#DigitalRights #FreedomOfExpression #AccessRights #children #SocialMediaBan

2026-04-22 07:14:49 UTC

#Mastodon looking smart today at @npub1mjt…pvyd's Digital Public Infrastructure event in #Brussels.
Looking forward to your contributions here @npub10gc…0m2k !
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/447/106/235/936/123/original/1e1191dd4b27350a.jpg

2026-04-21 14:58:25 UTC

RE: https://social.heise.de/@heiseonlineenglish/116441217794431624
#Austria: WE NEED AGE VERIFICATION EVERYWHERE THINK OF THE CHILDREN !1!!
Also Austria: Family Minister drops state funding for legal and psychosocial counseling against online hate. The #DSA reporting office also ceases to exist. 🤷‍♂️
#DigitalServicesAct #DigitalRights #RegulateBigTechNotChildren #OnlineHate
#note13zz…8eks

2026-04-15 20:21:14 UTC

Great work of public service done by Belgian NGO #Vredesactie, [@Declassified_UK](https://mastodonapp.uk/@Declassified_UK ), and the Palestinian Youth Movement. 👏
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/belgium-seizes-arms-shipment-sent-britain-israel
#Palestine #Israel #gaza #warcrimes

2026-04-13 11:40:34 UTC

It would be really cute if it wasn't so costly: how so many people fall again & again for artificial hype creation in #AI:
1. Company says "our next model is super dangerous," we need to do this very responsibly. (But we'll sell it to whomever pays anyway. 🤷)
2. Journos blindly repeat industry claims without verifying them. "It'll destroy the world!"
3. Gov'ts demand "early access" & concede that "the future of our #security is now reliant on the future of AI."
#Anthropic #Mythos #AIhype

2026-04-08 06:08:15 UTC

"#Australia says it can’t go it alone on #SocialMediaBan for kids" is the "Help us open Hormuz" of tech policy:
Doing the wrong thing despite everyone telling you it ain't the solution and then complaining about others not helping when you fail.
Even the Australian rep to the #EU now admits that we need "substantive, enduring change globally to the algorithms and a change to the design behaviours of big tech companies," according to Politico.
Sad they only realise it now.

2026-04-07 08:12:17 UTC

The @npub1m96…ag4y’s #DigitalServicesAct enforcement cost about €15 million less than anticipated in 2025.
"The surplus comes as the cost of human resources was some €8 million lower than estimated, with operational and administrative expenditure some €7.5 million lower," wrote Politico.
In other words: the Commission has difficulties hiring the number of staff it needs to hold #BigTech accountable.
https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-register/detail?ref=COM(2026)147&lang=en
#DSA #PlatformRegulation #EUpolicy

2026-04-07 07:04:11 UTC

#Palantir opens shop in #Brussels, expect sales and #lobbying to happen. :trashfire:
https://www.lesoir.be/735626/article/2026-03-19/lentreprise-americaine-palantir-lance-une-filiale-en-belgique
#surveillance #StateSurveillance #Policing

2026-04-04 12:36:13 UTC

It's quite damning that the folks behind the #BrowserGate investigation about #LinkedIn's hidden data theft programme have opted to sue #Microsoft in court for #DMA infringement rather than submitting a complaint for public enforcement to the @npub1m96…ag4y.
It looks like they have little trust in the EU Commission to do that job quickly and effectively enough. 🤷‍♂️
https://browsergate.eu/
#DigitalMarketsAct #competition #DataProtection #GDPR #privacy

2026-04-01 19:24:36 UTC

The @npub1m96…ag4y announced it is exploring a new EU-US “dialogue” on digital rules, as Washington piles on the pressure over how the EU enforces its tech laws.
“If confirmed, this is nothing short of complete capitulation to the #Trump admin’s coercive tactics,” said #Greens MEP @npub1pna…x56k.
“No need to do this,” said liberal MEP Sandro Gozi. “The Commission must implement the #DSA + #DMA, not discuss them with the US. It’s a clear attempt to slow down implementation and weaken enforcement.”

2026-04-01 09:03:13 UTC

Very insightful write-up by @npub1wja…ph0q of what happens to your data when you verify your #Linkedin account.
In short: don't.
https://thelocalstack.eu/posts/linkedin-identity-verification-privacy/
#Privacy #DataProtection #CloudAct #GDPR

2026-03-16 07:52:03 UTC

Why #GDPR has so little effect on #BigTech. Case 34,276:
"The Luxembourg courts have annulled a €746 million fine leveled against #Amazon by the country’s privacy regulator.
The court said that the data protection authority (#CNPD) failed to properly analyze Amazon’s “degree of fault” relating to certain #privacy breaches.
The court did confirm “the essence of the violations of the GDPR” that were identified by the CNPD, but noted that “these have now been resolved.” 😭

2026-02-25 15:36:11 UTC

The German film festival #Berlinale is abolishing itself. After this year's jury president #WimWenders claimed films should not be political (and importantly not criticise #Israel or call out #genocide), the German gov now wants to fire festival director #TriciaTuttle.
Because award-winner Abdallah #Alkhatib has criticised #Germany & "abused" his speech for "political destruction" (whatever that is).
https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/deutschland/innenpolitik/id_101144700/weimer-will-offenbar-berlinale-festivalchefin-tuttle-absetzen.html

2026-02-25 09:21:57 UTC

Hey @npub1m96…ag4y, is it normal that I have to execute #JavaScript from an #AWS #WAF server in order to consult the official publications of #EUlaw applicable to me?
Is this part of this #DigitalSovereignty thing I hear so much about? 🤔
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/130/529/783/210/097/original/7968df1259be12de.png

2026-02-21 15:33:31 UTC

Wow, I just installed the latest #LinuxMint with #Xfce desktop on a 19 year-old #iMac with a beautiful 20" screen (4gb RAM, 1tb disk) and it's 😍
Absolutely usable for web surfing, emails, documents, like all normal office use. Blown away by just how good old hardware can perform if one uses the right software.
Big kudos to everyone contributing to @npub1l38…ky3k ♥️
#Linux #reuse #recycle #sustainability
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/109/331/796/242/955/original/b85b0ff2a73aea60.png
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/109/334/826/084/296/original/8a93f92eae6cf44a.png

2026-02-13 10:18:33 UTC

A major victory for #HumanRights in the #UK 🎉
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/13/uk-ban-palestine-action-unlawful-high-court-judges-rule

2026-02-13 08:49:21 UTC

Here are 7 awesome (new or newish) features in @npub1rkw…5q62 many users seem to have missed but will probably want to use.
(Some of them I think are only available on Android at the moment?)
A quick thread 🧵
(Note: If you're triggered to comment on centralisation, AWS, Google Push, or believe that Signal is secretly run by the CIA, no need to reply. We know you're there and appreciate you.)

2026-02-11 10:35:55 UTC

The German federal government currently pays €481 million in licensing fees to #Microsoft every year.
I'm sure @npub1u0l…wvvv could build some nice stuff with half the money and make it available for everybody else to re-use.
#DigitalSovereignty #DigitalCommons #FOSS

2026-02-05 10:51:37 UTC

German #competition regulator fines #Amazon €59M for abuse of market power 🎉
https://www.bundeskartellamt.de/SharedDocs/Meldung/DE/Pressemitteilungen/2026/26_02_05_Amazon.html?nn=52004
#antitrust #marketpower #bigtech

2026-02-03 08:10:16 UTC

#EU: “It’s very clear that Europe is having our #independence moment, (...) during the last year, everybody has really realized how important it is that we are not dependent on one country or one company when it comes to some very critical technologies.”
Also #EU: We're pressing ahead with talks to grant United States border authorities unprecedented access to Europeans’ data, despite growing concerns about #American #surveillance. 🤦🏼‍♂️

2026-02-02 20:09:34 UTC

The world needs so much more Pedro Sánchez right now
#Spain #migration #MigrantRights #HumanRights #asylum #PedroSanchez
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/116/002/837/677/824/139/original/ed1a0228ef4bb5fb.mp4

2026-02-01 11:13:15 UTC

My #fosdem learning today: #Linux on phones has made huge progress since I last checked.
The fact that non-techy people can buy Linux phones off the shelve that just work *and* are really slick devices is 🤩🤩
It's crucial for us to be ready as a community when #Google finally takes away #AOSP from us.
Check out the phones from @npub1xrs…qupw and @npub1pl0…qn57.
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/995/071/660/798/182/original/c33904c7ab7ad7ce.png
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/995/071/691/566/688/original/8e9010144f80884d.webp

2026-01-28 08:53:10 UTC

The liberal group in the European Parliament #Renew has an #Instagram campaign for leaving #BigTech platforms. That's cool.
What do you think @npub1w64…zvuh, is that an opportunity to bring some of your colleagues over to the Fediverse?
Feel free to invite them to join our Mastodon server http://eupolicy.social - it is made specifically for the EU bubble.
#DigitalSovereignty #OpenSocialWeb #LeaveX
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/971/853/289/974/056/original/9fbe8a83e52b283a.png

2026-01-27 21:26:06 UTC

*** Follow-Empfehlung ***
Wer sich für deutsche #Politik (oder Politik auf deutsch) interessiert, folge auf jeden Fall @npub1jc0…ten0. Awet ist eine der intelligentesten, ehrlichsten Stimmen direkt aus dem #Bundestag hier im Fediverse.

2026-01-26 14:22:17 UTC

TV reporter contacts me: "Can we meet today and interview you about the #Grok #X #nudification #DSA investigation announced by the EU?"
1 hour later: "Ah sorry, air time is gone. #Trump did something."
#media #journalism

2026-01-24 07:53:59 UTC

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Bitte bitte @npub1fl0…hrk3, bevor ihr Fake-Bilder von Situationen erfindet, die es so nie gegeben hat, veröffentlicht Texte lieber ohne Bild. #KI generierter #Fake hat in Presseerzeugnissen einfach nichts verloren, auch nicht als "Symbolbild."
#AI #genAI #slop

2026-01-23 11:52:34 UTC

It is immensely disappointing that the European Parliament manages to defend and support former Commissioner #ThierryBreton, a wealthy, privileged old man who's addressbook is full of powerful friends.
While it not even mentions in passing (let alone defends) the cash-strapped #CivilSociety organisations @npub1s3w…mls7 and #CCDH who have been attacked by #Trump in exactly the same way but with zero government support.
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20260122IPR32567/ep-leaders-reject-the-visa-ban-imposed-on-former-commissioner-breton
#DSA #democracy #freespeech

2026-01-20 11:02:56 UTC

EU politicians: We need to DEREGULATE NOW otherwise we cannot win the #AI race !!1! AI must be EVERYWHERE !1!!!
Also EU politicians: Oh shit, people use AI to create illegal content and harm women and children with nudify apps.
#deregulation #simplification #EUpolicy #omnibus #genAI #nudification

2026-01-19 21:59:18 UTC

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I did, thanks!

2026-01-19 21:31:03 UTC

So cool: @radboud University has announced to switch to #Fairphone for (all?) their employees. 🎉 They explicitly cite #sustainability, cost efficiency and management support as reasons.
https://www.ru.nl/en/staff/news/radboud-university-selects-fairphone-as-standard-smartphone-for-employees

2026-01-19 11:06:24 UTC

In the name of fighting #crime and #terrorism, EU law already requires mandatory #police surveillance of international air travel.
EU governments are now considering #surveillance of all other modes of transport, in particular maritime travel.
Via @npub1q72…esth. Give them a follow if you'd like to stay in the loop.
https://www.statewatch.org/news/2026/eu-member-states-want-to-expand-police-surveillance-of-travel/
#privacy #DigitalRights #migration

2026-01-14 10:26:50 UTC

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Sounds like if we had something like unconditional #GeneralBasicIncome #GBI, more people could start thinking again and society would be less dumb?

2026-01-13 21:29:10 UTC

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Welcome to the Open Social Web Vice-President Virkkunen!

2026-01-13 18:39:02 UTC

RE: https://chaos.social/@digiges/115888208550338614
Absolut richtige Entscheidung, exzellent formulierte Begründung. Merci für die Transparenz @npub1fqw…ahus !
#note1jm4…7ula

2026-01-08 14:12:22 UTC

Hey @npub1prv…5px6, und da gab es wirklich keine ethischere Cloud-Alternative für das Portal, bei dem nicht noch mehr deutsche Steuergelder an Faschismus unterstützende Mega-Milliardäre in den USA fließen? So von wegen #DigitaleSouveränität und so... 🤔
https://www.golem.de/news/nis-2-umsetzung-bsi-schaltet-meldeportal-auf-amazon-servern-frei-2601-203957.html
#BSI #Amazon #AWS #BigTech

2026-01-06 09:13:56 UTC

"The more European countries act as colonies, unable and unwilling to stand up to #Trump, the more they’ll be treated as such."
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/06/europe-venezuela-donald-trump-vladimir-putin
#Venzuela #VonDerLeyen #InternationalLaw

2025-12-27 17:24:57 UTC

I mean yes #China is a terrible #authoritarian hellhole where a single political party oppresses all dissent.
But the fact that the country went from zero to over 70% (~50,000 km) of all globally operated high-speed rail in only two decades begs the question: What the F is everyone else doing?!?
(Yes, I'm looking at you @npub1m96…ag4y and @npub1s6p…uzkk)
Source: https://www.chinadailyasia.com/hk/article/626075#China's-high-speed-rail-network-surpasses-50,000-kilometers-2025-12-26
#ClimateCrisis #GreenMobility #trains #TrainBubble

2025-12-26 14:20:48 UTC

"Our custom #bikes and gear reflect our dirt intentions and we #LeaveNoTrace to keep it all sustainable. Our #bikepacking #commons weaves us together and forms the grounds of this community. We all help maintain our commons first and foremost by riding."
Important piece by Josh Meissner about how #Komoot betrayed the commons and what the bikepacking community must learn from it.
https://bikepacking.com/plog/when-we-get-komooted/
#enshittificatiom #BigTech #fedibikes #DigitalCommons

2025-12-25 22:10:27 UTC

While the #US has become an authoritarian state that tramples on the rights and freedoms of people around the world, EU member states want to grant US authorities direct and far-reaching access to #biometric data stored in European #police databases. 😠
https://www.heise.de/en/news/Biometrics-Deal-EU-Council-Paves-Way-for-US-Data-Exchange-11120427.html
#HumanRights #DigitalRights #privacy

2025-12-23 21:58:12 UTC

This is what civil society, in particular the #DigitalRights community, is up against now: #Trump has barred leaders of @npub1s3w…mls7, the Global #Disinformation Index, and the Centre for Countering Digital Hate from entering the US. Expect more restrictions, threats, and intimidation against public-interest NGOs globally.
https://apnews.com/article/state-department-trump-immigration-rubio-visas-87c8a4692f3184e4f83fdd8ed5093886
#DigitalServicesAct #DSA #EU #authoritarianism #USA

2025-12-17 09:26:59 UTC

So @npub1m96…ag4y president #VonDerLeyen has caved into pressure from the German #CDU #CSU government and car industry: She proposed yesterday to axe her own #GreenDeal flagship that was supposed to end the sales of combustion engine cars by 2035.
Her unconvincing blah blah press release blathers of #innovation, #CleanMobility and #competitiveness in order to hide what it really is: a subsidy for #FossilFuel billionaires paid for with the #health of our children.
#ClimateJustice #ClimateCrisis

2025-12-13 08:51:59 UTC

RE: https://ec.social-network.europa.eu/@EUCommission/115707012503809415
Totally agree to be pissed about #ChatControl and Yes to direct that anger at the @npub1m96…ag4y.
At the same time, I think it's important to understand that the Commission is not one unified block. It's a huge institution, and totally possible that the Directorate-General for Home Affairs promotes breaking #encryption while DG Justice attempts to protect #democracy and folks who drafted the original #DSA in DG Connect try to defend Europeans' free expression rights from #BigTech overreach.
#note1knl…hm33

2025-12-11 08:24:53 UTC

Today, the #EU will launch a new legal entity aimed at supporting the development of the #DigitalCommons.
The so-called European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (#EDIC) is a legal instrument that allows EU countries to pool resources and "coordinate with communities to develop, maintain and scale digital commons and facilitate their uptake."
Depending on who leads it, this #DCEDIC might become something great, or it could end in failure just as #GaiaX did. 🍿
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-launch-digital-commons-edic-support-sovereign-european-digital-infrastructure-and

2025-12-10 08:21:36 UTC

As of today: No social media for Australians under 16.
Also as of today: Every Australian under 16 installs a dodgy gratis #VPN that spies on them and sells their digital lives to #adtech sharks.
#SocialMediaBan #DigitalRights #AgeVerification #MinorsProtection

2025-12-07 18:27:29 UTC

The news that #X has suspended the #EU's advertising account on the platform after it issued a 120m EUR fine against X for breaking the #DSA is beyond hilarious.
And it might even be kind of good in the sense that politicians in Europe maybe finally realise how shitty it is to depend on such a lunatic for its public communications.
https://www.politico.eu/article/x-axes-european-commissions-ad-account-after-e120m-eu-fine/
#DigitalServicesAct #DigitalRights #DigitalSovereignty #RuleOfLaw

2025-12-05 20:12:15 UTC

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So cool to see (and boost) the first @npub1wa2…zalq video in my Mastodon timeline 😻
#federation #interoperability #FediverseRocks

2025-12-05 10:49:15 UTC

I'm usually no #fiction reader, you'll only see me a read one #novel every few years.
But @npub18ak…untn's #scifi novel #Bikepunk - Les croniques du flash was a great read: A beautiful homage to the #bicycle and low-tech more generally, embedded in a post-apocalyptic storyline that is deeply human, surprisingly feminist and non-ableist, and just a real treat for your imagination.
I kind of left it with the feeling that the world the author has created deserves a tome 2 😊
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/666/560/413/907/470/original/1073445c04e18f9f.jpg

2025-12-03 19:15:01 UTC

"The Dutch government has quietly removed #Google #tracking tools from job listings for its intelligence services over concerns that the data would expose aspirant spies to U.S. #surveillance," according to POLITICO.
"The intervention would put an end to Google’s processing of the data of job seekers interested in applying to #spy service jobs, after members of parliament in The Hague raised security concerns." 💥

2025-11-14 22:32:05 UTC

Love how a resident fighting the construction of a large ugly office tower in my #Brussels neighbourhood casually shows off his @npub12ln…vs03 #Linux laptop on local TV and loads files from the city's @npub1rk6…hv4q instance. ❤️
#FOSS #FreeSoftware #DigitalSovereignty #Delta #Auderghem #TourTriomphe
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/550/410/230/726/311/original/1401dca2af370ca6.png

2025-11-12 16:21:17 UTC

Excellent call by [@offene_netzwerke](https://eupolicy.social/@offene_netzwerke ) for better public funding for the #Fediverse:
1. #FediverseFund for user-centred development, €30 million annually
2. Anchoring the +1 principle in the work of the governments & public institutions
3. Recognition of non-profit status in the field of decentralised #DigitalInfrastructure
4. Establishment of decentralised, interoperable & cross-sectoral pan-European media platforms with involvement of civil society
https://offene-netzwerke.eu/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Paper_Alliance-Open-Networks-and-Democratic-Public-Sphere_EN-251111-1.pdf

2025-11-12 11:43:47 UTC

"#SiliconValley isn’t building apps anymore.
It’s building empires."
"Under the banner of "patriotic tech", this new bloc is building the infrastructure of control—clouds, #AI, #finance, #drones, #satellites—an integrated system we call the #AuthoritarianStack. It is faster, ideological, and fully privatized: a regime where corporate boards, not public law, set the rules."
https://www.authoritarian-stack.info/
#Democracy #HumanRights #DigitalSovereignty #DigitalSelfdetermination

2025-11-06 21:20:31 UTC

Gotta love The Guardian for those quotes from Europeans on #Mamdani's win in NYC:
"Verbeek backed this with a comment he had overheard in an Oslo cafe, in which Mamdani was described as an American politician who “finally” sounded normal."
“Normal. That’s the word,” Verbeek wrote in his newsletter, The Planet. “Here, taking care of one another through public programs isn’t radical socialism. It’s Tuesday.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/06/europe-zohran-mamdani-policies-normal

2025-11-04 16:11:23 UTC

#China has installed more #solar panels in the past 6 months than #Germany did in the past 25 years.
(via @npub1m2j…yzxt)
https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/china-schafft-in-sechs-monaten-doppelt-so-viel-solarkraft-wie-deutschland-in-25-jahren-a-c654c3ac-9f19-4b6c-bc5b-2905096f685b
#renewables #energytransition #greentransition

2025-11-04 16:07:39 UTC

#FollowTheMoney requested access to an unredacted version of #X’s first #DigitalServicesAct risk report from the @npub1m96…ag4y – a request that the EU executive denied.
After the request, the Commission updated its internal rules to generally presume such reports to be confidential.
The European #Ombudsman found this to be “unreasonable” and that it amounted to maladministration.
https://www.ftm.eu/articles/eu-watchdog-slams-commission-over-x?share=1mY%2B4H%2ByW2F6Ad9Pgd%2BTdoFEAsvMSz869pZOp7URYWEzHEAyIZHyhccNPphfWlM%3D

2025-11-04 14:46:07 UTC

I just heard another renown professor argue #Mastodon is too hard, even they failed. Choosing a server is simply too difficult.
And I'm wondering: how the heck does everybody have an email address?
#decentralisation #federation

2025-11-03 10:41:38 UTC

When people say "#Mastodon is like early Twitter," they often refer to the absence of algorithmic amplification & ads or the functionality set. But what makes it like early #Twitter in my opinion, isn't that.
It's that the #Fediverse enables you to easily connect with real, awesome humans from anywhere: makers, celebrities, community leaders, top experts in their fields. Just tag them with an honest post and you'll have wonderful interactions such as this one. 🤩
https://mastodon.online/@koteisaev/115482419774207245

2025-10-29 08:03:31 UTC

Tech firms are spending more than ever on #lobbying the #EU amid mounting opposition to the bloc’s digital rules, according to @npub19gk…xllu.
The 733 digital #industry groups registered in #Brussels now spend €151 million a year pushing their interests, up from €113 million 2 years ago.
Meta is the overall largest lobby spender in the EU (€10 million).
There are now an estimated 890 lobbyists working to shape the tech agenda, up from 699 in 2023.
https://corporateeurope.org/en/2025/10/big-tech-lobby-budgets-hit-record-levels

2025-10-27 09:21:19 UTC

“We are not a fining machine,” said a @npub1m96…ag4y official, when asked about the timeline for making decisions on ongoing #DSA cases.
Well, then maybe you should not have put yourselves forward as lead enforcement authority under the #DigitalServicesAct.
With great power comes great responsibility.

2025-10-20 09:04:15 UTC

What a timing: while I'm sitting at a #CloudAbolition workshop, #AWS takes down major centralised services like #Signal, #WhatsApp and #Teams.
People continue happily texting me on @npub1m9z…whzq though 💚 :fedi:

2025-10-17 09:34:47 UTC

Since it has gotten some beating recently (in particular from #Apple fanboys), I've written something about the #DigitalMarketsAct for @npub1w4r…8cxz and how things are going at this front:
https://edri.org/our-work/the-dma-is-a-success-it-should-be-strengthened-and-expanded/
#DMA #competition #antitrust #bigtech #marketpower

2025-10-13 21:22:09 UTC

Mmmm, how much I love high-speed #rail travel. #trains
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/368/939/846/239/780/original/6732152cd4446166.jpg

2025-10-09 18:42:07 UTC

"Asking enslaved people if they actually want to work the plantations for free would kill the cotton industry."
-- Nick Clegg
#AI #AIcon #exploitation #BigTech
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/345/666/872/754/205/original/f829b91bae7a95ce.png

2025-10-09 12:37:44 UTC

Yay looks like the @npub1m96…ag4y and #EDPB have taken a rather clear joint position: #PayOrConsent is unlawful for gatekeepers under #DMA and #GDPR.
Hello #Meta 👋
https://www.edpb.europa.eu/system/files/2025-10/joint_com-edpb_gls_interplay_dma_gdpr_for_public_consultation_en.pdf
#privacy #DataProtection #gatekeepers #PayorOK

2025-10-08 10:50:52 UTC

Sounds like Tech Commissioner #Virkkunen is trying to reassure critics in the #EU on #DSA + #DMA enforcement:
“I have been working all the time on these topics. But of course, people, they have very different personal styles, I think,” she told #Politico.
“It’s important to stay calm, even if there are different kinds of attacks against this legislation,... We are fully enforcing the rules all the time and everybody can be ensured on that.”
“Our rules are not part of trade negotiations.”

2025-10-08 06:53:37 UTC

Unpopular opinion:
#JensSpahn and the German #CDUCSU don't oppose #ChatControl because of our #civilsociety pressure but because the far-right #noAfD opposes it as well.

2025-10-07 14:24:55 UTC

I know some of us are really angered by #Meta's decision to stop running political, electoral and social issue ads in the EU.
I understand this will force many civil society orgs to painfully disentangle their own #campaigning from #Meta platforms.
But in my books it's a win-win: CSOs win because they finally break free from an abusive relationship, and society wins because less of our political debates and election campaigns are run on toxic #BigTech platforms.
#TrackingFreeAds #PoliticalAds

2025-10-05 08:52:27 UTC

The good thing about the #drone appearances over European airports is that they force interior ministers to finally work on actual threats to our societies, and maybe have less time to waste on all those imagined threats like #migration, #antifa, #FreePalestine, and #GoingDark.

2025-10-04 17:50:16 UTC

I currently read Alex Vitale's The End Of Policing. I was skeptical at first. After about a third I thought "Yes OK that's true but mostly applies to the US, right?"
But then, where Vitale argues #police has always been a political, never a #crime-fighting tool, I suddenly realised:
Holy shit I myself & everyone in my bubble finds it totally normal that police are present at #protests but would *never* expect them to solve my burglary case or find my stolen bicycle. 😲
https://www.versobooks.com/products/178-the-end-of-policing

2025-10-04 12:52:59 UTC

“Whenever a company or public office faces a new challenge, the first question must be: How can #AI help?” @npub1m96…ag4y President Ursula von der Leyen said at the Italian Tech Week in Turin.
What a dumb piece of advice.
#TechnoSolutionism #EU #IndustrialPolicy

2025-10-02 06:30:03 UTC

Dear journalists: did you know there is a verb for "using false claims"? Many children learn it in kindergarten. It's called "lying".
You should try it some time (the verb, not the lying).
#ClearLanguage #USpol #journalism #freepress
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/303/137/214/144/183/original/b1a6c7aca030c8c5.png

2025-09-25 07:19:17 UTC

#Apple continues to blackmail European #lawmakers and thus #democracy itself. What a disgrace this company is. Don't buy their shit.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/sep/25/apple-calls-for-changes-to-anti-monopoly-laws-and-says-it-may-stop-shipping-to-the-eu
#DMA #DigitalMarketsAct #DigitalRights #competition #antitrust

2025-09-22 09:55:26 UTC

Fighting for your rights works! 💪
⚖️ #Spain's constitutional court ruled that public decision-making algorithms require transparency and oversight. The court rejected claims that #NationalSecurity or #IntellectualProperty can absolutely limit what it calls a constitutional right to public information.
https://civio.es/novedades/2025/09/18/civio-pulls-back-the-curtain-on-public-algorithms-spains-supreme-court-orders-the-government-to-release-boscos-source-code/
#algorithms #AI #justice

2025-09-21 18:32:45 UTC

Spot the mistake
#wealthtax #taxtherich
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/243/704/108/158/809/original/c921439b6a5275ed.png

2025-09-20 17:23:25 UTC

I have just donated to @npub1p09…m5vl's #Gaza Emergency Fund which will be used to bring 8 (!) entire families to (relative) safety from #Israel's #genocide.
If you're a privileged White European like me, you don't often get the chance to help save someone else's life.
Well here you do: https://gaza-verified.org/emergency/

2025-09-19 19:53:54 UTC

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No, OEMs are not considered gatekeepers under the current DMA (see graphic). But I think the law should be amended to also cover device makers and firmware in order to ensure full, permissionless vertical #interoperability. Else we will never break the #Google / #Apple duopoly.
@npub158w…p2m9
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/232/707/895/018/981/original/8382c246b8741079.jpg

2025-09-19 18:21:15 UTC

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Which is exactly what we have been recommending the European Commission to require gatekeepers to do.

2025-09-18 07:15:26 UTC

Fox has been named Head of the Hen House in #Ireland.
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/2025/09/17/ex-tech-lobbyist-named-to-data-protection-commission/
#DataProtection #privacy #GDPR #Meta #lobbying #facebook #RevolvingDoor cc [@lobbyctrl_tech](https://eupolicy.social/@lobbyctrl_tech ) @npub19gk…xllu

2025-09-05 15:53:50 UTC

With a couple of days of delay, the @npub1m96…ag4y just hit #Google with a €2.95B fine for abusing its dominant position on the online ads market. 👏
After some bad press according to which the Commission had delayed the fines to appease Trump, this is a welcome development. Google now has 60 days to propose remedies. (I had hoped the Commission would order a breakup directly but hey....)
https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-slaps-google-with-2-95b-fine-for-adtech-abuse/
#adtech #competition #antitrust #alphabet #breakupbigtech #bigtech

2025-09-04 12:11:04 UTC

EDRi member @npub1yct…n02a Foundation fighting dubious lack of transparency in #Poland's selection of the #DigitalServicesCoordinator's leadership 💪
https://eupolicy.social/@panoptykon/115145932379104991
#DSC #UKE #DSA #DigitalServicesAct

2025-09-01 17:31:22 UTC

Finally a response from @npub1m96…ag4y Vice-President #Virkkunen on the American attacks against #democracy in Europe (unfortunately on #LinkedIn):
"The #DSA and #DMA are our sovereign legislations - Non-discriminatory, applying to all online platforms in the EU. Fully protecting our #FundamentalRights, including #FreedomOfExpression. I will keep enforcing them, for our kids, citizens and businesses."
Full letter ⬇️
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/130/222/027/563/266/original/0015230696829a9a.jpeg
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/130/221/991/990/761/original/7db9c7fca9995080.jpeg

2025-08-28 22:28:03 UTC

Thierry #Breton has shot back, and I'm afraid to say I love it.
#DSA #DMA #DigitalServicesAct #DigitalMarketsAct #Trump
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/aug/28/eu-donald-trump-tariffs-us-europe-tech
https://eupolicy.social/system/media_attachments/files/115/108/735/887/489/343/original/02d67285ab6572b0.jpg

2025-08-26 13:22:01 UTC

#Google: We need to limit #sideloading, #GooglePlay is so much safer!
Meanwhile in the real world:
https://www.theregister.com/2025/08/26/apps_android_malware/

2025-08-25 19:05:35 UTC

Good luck with Article 69 #DSA when the EU officials supposed to do on-premise inspections at #BigTech firms are under #US visa #sanctions.
I mean what the heck is wrong with these people?!
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-weighs-sanctions-officials-implementing-eu-tech-law-sources-2025-08-25/
#DigitalServicesAct #EUpol