Every year since 2002 the Big Brother Awards are handed out by Bits of Freedom. There is also a positive price to win: the Felipe Rodriquez Award. This year there are three winners. What they all have in common is defending our privacy and internet freedom. Congratulations to BOOS, Bert Hubert, and The Rights Forum, Plant An Olive Tree and Pax.

BOOS - BNNVARA: for standing up for the privacy of children

BOOS is an online platform by BNNVARA that produced a special about family vloggers. The episode brought awareness about the privacy of the children in those families. Some of these children appear in pictures and videos social media since they were born. Also, some children are filmed on a daily basis for hours. The family life becomes a revenue model in which children generate income.

At such a young age children can’t report with what they are comfortable and they are totally dependent on their parents. When parents share most of their life on social media, it is a real violation of privacy for those children. At the same time it exposes children to reactions online, which can have bad impact on their mental health. The episode of BOOS generated quite a stir about family vloggers and the rights of children in these families including the right for privacy.

Bert Hubert: wins for bringing the urgency of a 'Cloud Kootwijk’ to light

Bert Hubert, a software developer and tech commentator, receives the Felipe Rodriquez Award 2025 from Bits of Freedom for his idea of ‘Cloud Kootwijk’.  He brought to light a subject that very important for the digital rights movement. For a long time we have been saying that the Dutch government is too dependent of American Big Tech companies. Trump’s appointment and the striking actions from Big Tech gave a new urgency to digital sovereignty. Hubert converted this into a concrete proposal: Cloud Kootwijk.

Last February, Bert Hubert wrote an article about ‘Cloud Kootwijk’ in which he draws an analogy to Radio Kootwijk. In 1918 the Netherlands started building the Dutch radio connection, because dependence on foreign countries caused problems for communication.

Hubert argues that in 2025 we will again suffer from the dependence on foreign countries for our communication. Especially when the Dutch government intends to run all communication on American servers. They have been using American companies - such as Microsoft - for a long time. Hubert therefore proposes a ‘Cloud Kootwijk’, on which our government, healthcare and authorities can communicate without the knowledge of the United States.

The Rights Forum, Plant een Olijfboom and PAX ensured a successful campaign around the terrorism bill

Together these three organizations ensured a campaign to raise awareness about the bill that criminalize ‘glorification of terrorism’ and makes public statements to support so-called terrorist organizations illegal. In doing so, the organizations shared their concerns about freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate. The Rights Forum, Plant een Olijfboom and PAX called for a response to the bill during the internet consultation. They explained very well why and how people could respond. As a result people resisted en masse.

The Rights Forum is focused on Dutch and European policy having to do with Palestine, focusing on international law and human rights.

Plant an Olive Tree is committed to fair peace in Palestine with equality for all citizens.

PAX uses their expertise to help protect civilians from war violence and build inclusive peace.

Together they have worked to protect the rights of people who speak out against the genocide in Gaza. Bits of Freedom notices that the freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate is under pressure for these groups, including through the bill. The organizations have raised awareness about the bill and mobilized resistance.

About Felipe Rodriquez

Felipe Rodriquez was a very passionate pioneer around the start of the Dutch internet. He is the founder of XS4ALL, the first internet provider for individuals, because he wanted to make the internet accessible to everyone. He is also one of the founders of The Digital City, which was of great importance in the formation of an inclusive online community in the Netherlands. Rodriquez invented the Child Porn Reporting Center in 1995 that has become a crucial tool in combating child abuse. He also played a major role in the creation of Bits of Freedom. After his early death in 2015 this prize was created in his spirit, for someone who stands out positively in defending our privacy and online freedom.