EURActiv Info Society

Governments and companies pushing for greater monitoring of Internet activity pose a major threat to freedom and democracy, according to Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web.

Berners-Lee, who is credited with developing the Web while working as an engineer at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, said the fundamental spirit of freedom and open collaboration that underpins the universality of the Web is under severe pressure. 

Governments and companies pushing for greater monitoring of Internet activity pose a major threat to freedom and democracy, according to Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. EurActiv Links:  European Parliament: Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) Time Berners-Lee The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Blogactiv: The End of the Web as We Know It?

Governments and companies pushing for greater monitoring of Internet activity pose a major threat to freedom and democracy, according to Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web.

Germany's laws give preferential treatment to the country's main telecoms company Deutsche Telekom, according to a ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) yesterday (3 December), dealing a blow to dominant operators across Europe.

Traditionally, EU laws on advertising applied to print and broadcast media, but as adverts increasingly migrate to an unregulated online world, lawmakers and consumer groups are exploring ways to ensure that digital marketing does not infringe consumer rights.

A highly contested set of telecoms rules finally won broad consensus in the European Parliament yesterday (24 November), paving the way for high-speed Internet across Europe. Though some say the final package is not the "alpha or the omega," they concede that it is a step in the right direction.

The European Commission has given Oracle an extension of six working days to rethink the purchase of rival firm, Sun Microsystems, and its popular MySQL database software.

More than half of EU countries are still worried about rules contained in the upcoming telecoms 'package' of legislation, which is expected to regulate the electronic communications landscape in Europe as of next year, EurActiv has learned.

The EU is in corrective mode on eCommerce after it created a web of burdensome rules in order to inspire more consumer confidence, argues the author of a report examining European rules on online shopping.

The days of free online newspapers may be drawing to a close as major media owners announce their intention to impose stricter and higher pay barriers on their news services. And Europeans seem to be willing to pay for such services, according to a recent survey.

The EU's second sweep of the mobile phone content market - ringtones, wallpapers and other services - reveals a majority of websites flagged for scams were guilty of misleading consumers in all corners of the EU.

Published works from the US, UK, Australia and Canada only will be included in Google's digital book search project, Google and book industry representatives agreed on Friday (13 November).

Oracle's case for buying Sun Microsystems has failed to convince the European Commission, which issued a statement of objections to the deal on Sunday (15 November).

The EU's move to high-speed broadband will stumble on a lack of investment if the EU does not change its laws governing access to networks, Europe's biggest Internet providers and their equipment providers are arguing.

Law enforcement agencies will be able to cut off the connections of Internet users suspected of illegally downloading films and music, lawmakers and EU ministers agreed in the small hours of this morning (5 November).

The EU is reportedly on the cusp of undermining Internet users' fundamental freedoms for good as the European Council is putting pressure on MEPs to agree to a watered-down version of the telecoms package tomorrow (4 November), making it possible to cut off the Web connections of suspected illegal downloaders without a fair trial.

The top radio frequencies freed by technological updates should be devoted to new services, such as wireless Internet and high-definition mobile offers, rather than being allocated to extra broadcasting uses, the European Commission will propose today (28 October).

The European Commission will review EU privacy rules in 2010 with the aim of increasing data protection for Internet services such as webmail, social networks and online banking, as well as in other non-virtual sectors ranging from finance to health care.

The flow of digital content is hampered by national borders and their laws, an EU report published last week shows, leading the European Commission to argue that better rules on consumer access and copyright are needed.

Internet users suspected of infringing copyright laws could see their connections suspended or face other administrative measures without the need for a court ruling, according to new proposals tabled by the European Parliament.