Misschien woon jij in een gemeente waar de Piratenpartij mee wil doen. Alleen met voldoende ondersteuningsverklaringen (OSV) zetten we de Piratenpartij op het stemformulier. Een OSV heet ook wel een H4-formulier. Download ze voor jouw gemeente: gemeente opsturen naar Amsterdam mailto:amsterdam@piratenpartij.nl stadsdeelcommissie Amsterdam – West mailto:amsterdam@piratenpartij.nl Procedure in het kort: Neem geldig ID mee! De […]

Het bericht Help de Piraten in jouw gemeente verscheen eerst op Piratenpartij.

What has the EDRi network been up to over the past few weeks? Find out the latest digital rights news in our bi-weekly newsletter. In this edition: EDRi’s 2025 year in review, new resource to support an EU spyware ban, DSA delayed in Poland, & more!

The post EDRi-gram, 21 January 2026 appeared first on European Digital Rights (EDRi).

Bits of Freedom shares lessons learned while working on “Amsterdam Top400”, an invasive municipality project which involved the use of predictive policing and led to unwanted interference in the private lives of young people. Together with a coalition of professionals from different background and affected individuals, they explored the possibility of holding the municipality of Amsterdam accountable for violations of children’s rights, data protection law, and fundamental freedoms.

The post Fighting for algorithmic justice: lessons learned in working closely with affected people appeared first on European Digital Rights (EDRi).

Spyware continues to spread across Europe despite years of scandals and undisputable evidence of fundamental rights violations. As the European Commission remains inactive, civil society, journalists and some lawmakers at the European Parliament are stepping up pressure for accountability. In this context, EDRi is launching a document pool to centralise resources that tracks abuse and support the growing push for a full EU-wide ban of spyware.

The post EDRi launches new resource to document abuses and support a full ban on spyware in Europe appeared first on European Digital Rights (EDRi).

As for most civil society organisations, 2025 was a tumultuous and challenging year for EDRi. Shifting political landscapes and shrinking civic space have made the work of civil society in Europe and around the world increasingly difficult for years . Yet we have nevertheless found many reasons to hope, celebrate, resist and persist.

The post EDRi’s 2025 in review: we resisted, we persisted appeared first on European Digital Rights (EDRi).

Poland is among the last EU member states to implement the Digital Service Act. After two years of negotiations between the government and civil actors – led by the Panoptykon Foundation, the Polish NGO protecting fundamental rights in the online context – the implementing act was ready. President’s veto means that the process has to be started afresh.

The post President’s veto further delays the implementation of the DSA in Poland appeared first on European Digital Rights (EDRi).

A new study by Bits of Freedom shows that Snapchat sends users misleading notifications. This is banned under the Digital Services Act which prohibits misleading and manipulative design on online platforms. The results of this study make for important input into possible DSA enforcement actions and support including rules about attention-grabbing notifications in the upcoming Digital Fairness Act.

The post New research reveals how Snapchat uses notifications to manipulate users appeared first on European Digital Rights (EDRi).

Every Thursday of the week, Bastian’s Night is broadcast from 21:30 CET.

Bastian’s Night is a live talk show in German with lots of music, a weekly round-up of news from around the world, and a glimpse into the host’s crazy week in the pirate movement.

If you want to read more about @BastianBB: –> This way

piratesonair.net/bastians-nigh…

We elect our Pirate Council in February. Positions include Captain, First Officer, Quartermaster, PR/Media Director, Activism Director, Swarmwise Director, Web/Info Director, three Arbitrators and two representatives to the US Pirate Party.

If you are interested in throwing your hat in for any of these positions, nominations are open on-line until end of day Friday, January 30th. Before you do, become a member, join our activists email list, and read our Articles of Agreement and Code of Conduct.

Ballots will be sent out by February 13th and are due back by February 27th. We will use the same voting mechanism we used in our previous election. Voters will be emailed a randomly generated id that only the voter will know. Once the election is done, we will delete the ids. In this way, we can ensure that only supporters can vote, while also maintaining the secrecy of votes.

We look forward to multiple candidates for all positions.

masspirates.org/blog/2026/01/2…

10 organisation, including EDRi, have joined an ongoing coalition effort to challenge the discriminatory algorithms used by the family branch of the French welfare system (CNAF). In the current deregulation spree by the European Commission, this legal action represents resistance to the rollback of fundamental rights protections and the increase of rights infringing legislation. Read an update about the strengthened coalition and the legal action they have taken so far.

The post CNAF’s discriminatory scoring algorithm: 10 new organisations join the case before the Conseil d’État in France appeared first on European Digital Rights (EDRi).

Spyware is one of the most serious threats to fundamental rights, democracy and civic space across Europe. This document pool brings together EDRi’s analysis, advocacy, research, and curated third-party resources as part of our push for a full EU-wide ban on spyware.

The post Spyware Document Pool appeared first on European Digital Rights (EDRi).

January 19 – Today is MLK Day, in which we celebrate the “birthday” of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (which was actually four days ago on the 15th) and remember him as a nonviolent activist and hero of Civil Rights.

To take a moment of reflection, I think it is especially important to remember the life, work and legacy of MLK Jr. for everything that it was. Martin Luther King Jr. is a figure that fills a hole I believe is deeply missing in today’s day and age.

Many people might overlook the fact, or write it off as a mere footnote, that Dr. King was a Reverend. But you shouldn’t overlook that fact.

Dr. King was apart of what we will boil down for simplicity purposes as “the Christian Left”.

What we are seeing in today’s day and age is the continual bastardization of Christian imagery in order to progress an agenda of “Christian Nationalism”. While Civil Rights should rightfully be recognized as Dr. King’s legacy, his role as a prominent Christian and the undeniable role his Christianity had on his words and actions must be acknowledged.

“Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.”

Because Christian Nationalists of 2026 use phrases such as “Christ is King”, many from left-of-center to far-left tend to completely disregard religion as toxic, antiquated, oppressive or even “opiate of the masses”.

They should not.

It is fine if you personally are non-religious, but many folks do take their faith seriously. It is central to their lives and often influences their day-to-day decisions.

The Reverend Dr. King is no exception, and to lessen that idea his motives were deeply Christian would be to belittle his legacy entirely.

For those of you who consider themselves “on the left”, it is important you do not forget or belittle the impact faith and religion has on people. Furthermore, it is important that you be not afraid of speaking loudly and proudly your faith, but to never force that faith upon other people.

It does not need to be limited to Christianity. Malcolm X, upon returning from his pilgrimage to Mecca, immediately saw the brotherhood of all races as possible and even emphasized the need for the United States to understand Islam in order to address its racial issues.

Even Zohran Mamdani, the new mayor of New York City, has made no secret of his being Muslim as well as a Democratic Socialist. Even in the face of Islamophobic slander, Zohran has not wavered on his faith and his ideological beliefs. So much so that they have spawned “Socialist Jihadist” at him, which is certainly a buzzword.

Zohran Mamdani is not forcing everyone in the New York City to revert to Islam or pay the jizyah. His faith drives his actions and his actions thus become his word.

What Christian Nationalists are attempting to do is force the idea of “we are a Christian nation”, in which Christianity is the law of the land and Christians are first-class citizens. A Christian Republic.

That is an idea and concept Dr. King could not get behind.

Dr. King was openly and proudly Christian, and on the day in which he remember and celebrate the good Reverend, I ask that people of all faiths remember his message of love, justice and equality for all of the people on earth. “All of God’s Children”, if you will.

The United States Pirate Party is a secular organization, and I don’t wish to let this religiously themed post convince you all we are taking a religious approach.

But individuals in the party, myself (Captain Jolly Mitch) included, are believers of some kind. It is the individual, not the movement, who should keep and live by their faith. If your faith is what brings you to do good for the world, then is that not reason enough to hold it proudly?

Remember, and Dr. King was the exemplar of this: faith without works is dead.

uspirates.org/remembering-dr-k…

ICYMI

Arizona – the Arizona Pirate Party is seeking volunteers to assist with signature collecting for the Blase Henry campaign. If you are interested in helping Blase get on the ballot, check out their website or join their Discord to get in direct contact.

Pennsylvania – Drew Bingaman will be hosting campaign meet and greets for those in his district on February 2nd and 19th. Those interested can find out more by visiting his Facebook page and checking out “Events”

Conference News – The conference, scheduled for Boston on June 6th, 2026, has been penciled in to be a two day conference, with the final conference business wrapping up on Sunday, June 7th.

In addition, discussions have begun over the theme/tagline for the 2026 conference. Further information such as keynote and guest speakers, as well as discussion topics, will be revealed in the coming weeks. The determination of the theme/tagline may come as soon as next week’s meeting. Discussions and suggestions are currently open on our Discord server.

Young Pirates USA – In accordance with their new bylaws, YPUSA have opened up nominations for Secretary, Signal Officer and Treasurer. A nomination form has been provided to YPUSA members and will close on January 27th, immediately before their next meeting. The Young Pirate’s will have a proper election come the June conference.

uspirates.org/icymi-updates-fr…

The next Cambridge/Somerville Pirate Meetup is this Saturday:

• 1/24/2026, 3-4pm, Diesel Cafe, 257 Elm St., Somerville;
• 2/7/2026, 2-3pm, Tatte Bakery & Cafe, 318 Third St., Cambridge;
• 2/22/2026, 1-2pm, 37 Woodbine St., Somerville.

Afterwards, if the weather is good, we will map surveillance devices in the area.

Click the links to go to their respective registration pages. Knowing how many people plan to attend helps to choose the right sized table.

Looking forward to meeting with fellow pirates in Camberville!

PS: You can also join our local mailing list.

masspirates.org/blog/2026/01/1…

Our next PPI board meeting will take place on 20.01.2026, 20:00 UTC / 21:00 CET.

All official PPI proceedings, board meetings included, are open to the public. Feel free to stop by. We’ll be happy to have you.

Where:jitsi.pirati.cz/PPI-Board

Agenda: Pad: etherpad.pp-international.net/…

All of our meetings are posted to our calendar: pp-international.net/calendar/

We look forward to seeing visitors.

Thank you for your support,

The Board of PPI

pp-international.net/2026/01/b…

Dear Friend of Press Freedom,

More recent assaults on the First Amendment are dominating the headlines, but Rümeysa Öztürk has now been facing deportation for 297 days for co-writing an op-ed the government didn’t like, and journalist Ya’akub Vijandre remains locked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement over social media posts about issues he reported on. Read on for more on a virtually unprecedented (and only half over) month of attacks on press freedom.

Raid of journalist’s home ignores federal law and constitutional freedoms

The FBI raid of the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson, reportedly to investigate a contractor accused of mishandling classified records, marked an alarming escalation in the Trump administration’s multipronged war on press freedom. All the meanwhile, Post billionaire owner Jeff Bezos remains silent.

The Department of Justice (and the judge who approved this outrageous warrant) is either ignoring or distorting the Privacy Protection Act, which restricts law enforcement from raiding newsrooms and reporters. The administration may now be in possession of volumes of journalist communications having nothing to do with any pending investigation.

Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF) Chief of Advocacy Seth Stern, along with Chip Gibbons of Defending Rights & Dissent, wrote for The Guardian that, alarming as it was, the raid was the product of a decades-long backslide at both the federal and local level. And our Daniel Ellsberg Chair on Government Secrecy Lauren Harper wrote for The Intercept about how the raid was enabled by the Department of Justice’s revisions to its guidelines on searching journalists’ files. Harper previously exposed that the administration’s pretext for those revisions was a lie.

Reporter and security researcher Nikita Mazurov also wrote for us about measures reporters can take to minimize the risk to sources in the event of a raid or device seizure.

• Read our statement on the raid

Don’t forget last week’s alarming intrusion on newsgathering

We told you last week about the House Oversight Committee’s bipartisan vote to subpoena journalist Seth Harp over a tweet identifying a high ranking military officer involved in the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Democrats reportedly supported the subpoena as part of a deal to also issue subpoenas related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. That was a big mistake — journalist subpoenas are a constitutional red line, not a bargaining chip. After all, if not for the source relationships that enabled reporters like the Miami Herald’s Julie Brown to expose Epstein’s crimes, he might still be on his island preying on young girls.

Worse yet, the subpoena will allow proponents of the Natanson raid and future intrusions to legitimize and “both sides” their assaults on the Constitution. You can use our action center tool to tell Congress to clean up the mess it made.

• Write to your representative here

What the Maduro ‘extradition’ means for U.S. journalists

For journalists who work online, the most dangerous assumption is that press freedom is territorial. It is not. In the digital age, journalists publish globally by default, and states increasingly assert criminal jurisdiction globally as well.

The recent assertion of U.S. authority to abduct Maduro risks normalizing extraterritorial arrests for violations of the arresting country’s domestic laws, bypassing extradition procedures and other protections. As former federal computer crime prosecutor Mark Rasch wrote in a guest post for FPF, a country with repressive press laws could use the Trump administration’s actions to justify arresting U.S. journalists at home over online publications accessible elsewhere.

• Read more here

Wikipedia’s 25th birthday proves the power of free speech

Over the last quarter century, Wikipedia has gone from the source that teachers universally clamored “you can’t trust it” to one of the most reliable sources in a world of “disinformation” and AI-generated slop.

As FPF senior software engineer and volunteer Wikipedia editor Kunal Mehta explains, Wikipedia can only exist because of the robust free speech and free press safeguards that protect it (for now) in the United States.

• Read more here

Town hall on authoritarianism and the news

Rising authoritarianism impacts the news you depend on, whether you’re making choices in the ballot box or the doctor’s office. Journalists are facing increasing dangers that impact their work and their personal lives. FPF co-sponsored a town hall, available to stream now, which takes you behind the scenes of your news in 2026.

• Watch it here

What we're reading

Stars and Stripes job applicants are asked if they back Trump policies

The Washington Post
The same people who spent years whining about alleged bias in government-funded media are now extracting loyalty pledges from prospective reporters and promising to refocus the newsroom of a publication that is statutorily guaranteed independence.

Who isn’t a domestic terrorist: 19th Prairieland defendant should concern us all

National Lawyers Guild
Any effort to criminalize use of encryption is a serious threat to press freedom — especially coming from the current administration. It’s noteworthy that this is the same prosecution in which the government seeks to criminalize possession of literature.

Mamdani names new media commissioner, undoes Adams’ 11th hour press access changes

New York Daily News
Former Mayor Eric Adams tried to restrict press access in New York just before his term ended. Good for his successor, Zohran Mamdani, for killing the proposed rules.

I’m a community journalist in New York City. Here’s why Mamdani’s ‘influencer presser’ stung

Poynter
On the other hand, Mamdani should not overlook community journalists in favor of friendly influencers. Sure, social media influences the youth, but young people also need to know how to critically consume real news so their opinions aren’t dictated by algorithms.

freedom.press/issues/raid-of-r…

On January 9th of last year, we released an article “MAGA-Flavored Imperialism” as part of the Through the Spyglass series. condemning President Trump’s stated goals of annexing Greenland and the Panama Canal.

A little over a year later, the issue has reared its ugly head once again and needs reiterating.

As previously stated: “The alleged “anti-war candidate” seems to be just fine with US Imperialism.”

We reiterate our commitment to Pan-Americanism and a true Good Neighbor Policy. We, the United States Pirate Party, recognize that the actions taken by the President will only lead to bad blood and strained relationships between ourselves and our neighbors.

We already kidnapped the President of Venezuela in the middle of the night, which, despite how you might feel about Nicolás Maduro, is an escalation the United States cannot afford to make. We have spoken as much about it here.

Now, trying his luck again, the allies we have chosen to keep in Europe are sending non-NATO troops to Greenland in order to protect it from a potential U.S. invasion.

If the President’s gambit is to prove a dying empire “still got it”, then his plan must be marked as a failure. The world is unamused by the United States positioning and actions, and the backlash we will have to face is one from which I’m unsure we will ever truly recover.

Remember to read the original article, MAGA-Flavored Imperialism.

I understand people were tired of the status quo; we were too. But if this is the change of pace being offered, it is a marathon in the wrong direction.

uspirates.org/still-relevant-o…