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The Dutch police has to show restraint, but seems to be unable
In 1995 the police was one of the parties that started the BOB (don’t drink and drive) campaign. She called for showing restraint. The campaign is still going strong. But restraint is exactly what the police herself struggles to show. Evelyn wrote the following blog about this, that was the introduction to our monthly newsletter.
Are You Dead? Shifting ideas about loneliness
Earlier this year, the app Are You Dead? went viral in China. Are we more lonely in our technology rich society, or has technology changed our idea of what loneliness means? Evelyn wrote the following blog about this, that was also the introduction to our monthly newsletter.
Op-ed: Lawsuits and legislation are necessary in the fight against addicting apps
We shared our position with the Commision for Digital Affairs from the Dutch House of Representatives and the Commision for Digitalisation from the Dutch Senate.
Letter to Meta: stop arbitrary account suspensions
Today, and together with organisations from the broad LGBTQIA+ community, we sent a demand letter to Meta. In it, we demand that Meta stops blocking accounts without offering proper reasoning and without offering the opportunity to challenge those decisions. By neglecting to do so, Meta is in breach of the law.
Karin Spaink, co-founder of Bits of Freedom, passed away
Karin leaves a unique Karin-sized hole behind, but most of all an enormous richness of ideas and inspiration, and an implicit instruction to everyone to live with courage and on their own terms.
You weary giants of flesh and steel
In 1996, John Perry Barlow wrote the influential “A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace”. It has been 30 years, but the fight to be naturally independent on the internet is still going on today. Evelyn wrote the following blog about this, that was also the introduction to our monthly newsletter.
The Netherlands should remind the European Commission which side they are one
We shared our position with the Commision for Digital Affairs from the Dutch House of Representatives and the Commision for Digitalisation from the Dutch Senate.
Stay up to date: Our monthly English newsletter
Every second Friday of the month, we send out an English newsletter. In it, there is an introduction by our CEO Evelyn about a subject that caught her eye this month, along with a link to translated articles we published that month. The articles are translated by our lovely group of volunteers. A warm thank you to them all!
Want to stay informed about the threats and victories for an open and free Internet? Subscribe via the link below!
Do not prioritize profit over the health of TikTok and Instagram users
TikTok and Meta deliberately prioritize extreme content on their platforms in order to retain users. This came to light through the BBC documentary Inside the Rage Machine, based on leaked internal documents and whistleblower accounts. For years, we have been arguing that Big Tech’s sensationalist algorithms must be regulated. These revelations provide compelling evidence in support of that demand.
We filed a request for enforcement with regards to Snapchat
Bits of Freedom has filed a request for enforcement with the Authority on Consumers and Markets (ACM) centred around manipulative design in notifications sent by Snapchat.
We are not our data, but we are treated as if we are
Data are a translation of our complex reality into numerical values. That is a necessarily simplification of the world. It makes the abstract concrete, the intangible tangible. At least, that is the idea. And it is a valuable idea, because data allow us to do calculations and make the complex world intelligible.
Privacy defenders win Felipe Rodriquez Awards
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 en Olijfboom and Pax.
The National Police and the Dutch Tax Administration win the twentieth edition of the Big Brother Awards
We announced the biggest violators of our digital rights in 2025 at the Big Brother Awards. Of the five nominees, the winners are… The National Police (public prize) and the Dutch Tax Administration (expert prize)!
Court again rules in favor of Bits of Freedom: freedom of choice for Instagram and Facebook users remains intact
Today, the court ruled on Meta’s appeal against an earlier ruling in a lawsuit brought by Bits of Freedom. The Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the digital human rights organization. This is good news for Facebook and Instagram users: the freedom of choice they have been given over the information on their feed will remain intact.
The influence of Snapchat’s gamification features on young people
Our recent research paper into Snapchat’s gamification features shows that some of the respondents are experiencing negative effects. Think of the feeling of pressure and having more screen time than desired. The results of the research support the importance of freedom of choice on large online platforms. Young people need to have more control over where their attention is going, what they are seeing and what they are displaying of themselves online. We therefore want to use the report to advise policy makers on guidelines on gamification on social media.