Hi all,
April was the month age verification went from political debate to
political theatre. We had high-level calls, a half-baked app and
legislative procedures that are far from the finish line. There is enormous
political momentum, genuine technical difficulty, and a timeline being
driven by summits rather than by readiness.
=== Age Verification ===
The month's centrepiece was a live-streamed heads of state call hosted by
French President Macron, attended by Commission President von der Leyen and
leaders from 13 other EU countries including Meloni, Sánchez and Merz.
Macron framed the moment boldly: "We've already tried parental consent and
it didn't work. We chose the ban." Von der Leyen used the occasion to
declare that the EU's own age verification app was "technically ready" — a
claim that lasted roughly 24 hours before white-hat hackers were posting
about holes in the source code. The Commission said the flaws related to a
"previous demo version"; researchers said they were testing the latest one.
The Commission also set out a new recommendation
<https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/commission-sets-out-common…>,
reiterating its approach.
—
The French Senate approved the social media ban for under-15s, becoming the
first EU chamber to do so. At the heart of the Senate debate was a familiar
tension: the DSA gives the Commission primary responsibility for regulating
Very Large Online Platforms and for child protection, but France is
legislating bans anyway. France notified the text
<https://technical-regulation-information-system.ec.europa.eu/en/notificatio…>
to the Commission under the TRIS procedure. A mechanism to notify the
European Commission of draft national technical regulations. This will halt
the proceedings for a few months.
—
The French law is relevant to Wikimedia: the text explicitly excludes from
its scope online encyclopedias or platforms for developing and sharing free
software. This is an important precedent. We will work towards national
laws and any eventual EU-level framework following suit.
—
In Italy, an administrative court annulled an Agcom (the country’s
regulator) decision that had required porn platforms — including those
based in Cyprus — to implement age verification. The court found that Italy
had not followed the procedure required by the e-Commerce Directive: before
imposing obligations on platforms established in another member state, it
must first contact that state's authorities. The ruling
<https://mdp.giustizia-amministrativa.it/visualizza/?nodeRef=&schema=tar_rm&…>
is a useful reminder that the country-of-origin principle still applies and
constrains unilateral national enforcement against cross-border platforms.
—
Greece has announced plans to end anonymity
<https://www.euractiv.com/news/greece-to-ban-anonymity-on-social-media/> on
social media, requiring platforms to link all accounts to verified real
identities. The initiative is being handled at the highest level, inside
Prime Minister Mitsotakis's office. The plan would not eliminate pseudonyms
— users could still appear under a chosen name — but platforms would need
to know who is behind every account. Critics from digital rights groups
have raised serious concerns about freedom of expression and the practical
and legal difficulties of implementation. Digital minister Dimitris
Papastergiou acknowledged these, and noted he would prefer an EU-wide
approach. We currently have no details on the intended scope and which
platforms would be encompassed.
—
Most Wikimedia editors contribute pseudonymously or anonymously. Any
mandatory real-identity verification regime, whether national or EU-wide,
would be incompatible with how volunteer communities like ours function. We
will monitor this future Greek proposal closely.
=== Meta Found in Breach of DSA on Child Protection ===
The European Commission issued its preliminary findings
<https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_920> that
Meta's Instagram and Facebook are in breach of the DSA for failing to
prevent under-13s from accessing their services. The investigation,
launched in May 2024, found multiple specific failures: children can enter
a false birth date with no verification; the reporting tool for underage
users requires up to seven clicks and frequently results in no follow-up;
and Meta's internal risk assessment methodology contradicts EU-wide
evidence showing that 10–12% of children under 13 are on these platforms.
The Commission benchmarked its findings against the 2025 DSA Guidelines on
the protection of minors. Meta’s own terms of use prohibit under-13s from
using their services and under the DSA platforms are responsible for
enforcing their rules.
—
The Cyprus Presidency noted that the DSA Guidelines on the protection of
minors, adopted under Article 28 DSA in July 2025, will be updated before
the end of 2026. They currently state that if a platform hosts
pornographic content it should make sure minors don’t access it.
=== CSAM ===
The Cypriot Presidency has circulated an interesting document on the
interplay between the permanent CSA Regulation currently in the works and
the DSA. The Presidency's suggestion is that the CSA risk assessment and
mitigation measures would supplement — rather than replace — DSA
obligations for Very Large Online Platforms, and that the Commission would
be the sole supervisory authority for those obligations.
—
The Council of Europe adopted a Recommendation on online safety and
empowerment of users and content creators
<https://search.coe.int/cm?i=09125948802b41e8> this month. It draws heavily
on the DSA's framework and approach, stating that systemic risk assessment
models as more proportionate than blanket scanning.
=== German Data Retention Law ===
Germany's cabinet endorsed a government draft law on IP address retention,
which has now been formally published
<https://www.bmjv.de/SharedDocs/Gesetzgebungsverfahren/DE/2025_IP_Speicherun…>
by the Federal Ministry of Justice. The draft targets serious crimes
including deepfakes, doxing and stalking — digital violence in the broad
sense — and obligates ISPs and platforms to record IP addresses for
approximately three months.
—
The key elements are:
-
Individuals may ask ISPs for the IP address, name (if available) and
address (if available) of anonymous accounts.
-
Individuals will be able to apply to the Regional Courts for such
information. To do so, they must demonstrate that an unknown person has
committed an infringement and that they wish to bring civil claims against
that person. ISPs and platforms will need to hand it over if a judge
consents.
-
IP addresses will have to be stored for a period of three months. There
is no obligation to store other types of data in this proposal.
=== Digital Networks Act ===
The Digital Networks Act (DNA), proposed by the Commission on 21 January
2026, is making its way through the Parliament. The EP lead committee is
ITRE, with MEP Kobosko (Renew, PL) as rapporteur.
—
As flagged last month, the DNA contains provisions relevant to data
retention: it lists retention among the conditions of the general
authorisation regime for telecoms (Recitals 44 & 56, Article 9), allows
data retention obligations to be set as conditions for EU satellite
authorisation (Article 38). Amendments from MEPs and Council could sneak it
additional obligations on platforms, so we are watching closely.
—
The DNA is otherwise primarily a telecoms infrastructure regulation —
merging four existing acts (the EECC, the BEREC Regulation, the Radio
Spectrum Policy Programme, and core parts of the Open Internet Regulation)
into a single directly applicable instrument. Net neutrality rules are
carried over largely unchanged.
=== AVMSD ===
The Commission will update the Audiovisual Media Services Directive
(AVMSD), which contains the editorial rules applying to the broadcasters
and, to a certain extent, video-sharing platforms. According to its annual
plan, a legislative proposal should be published by the end of the year. In
light of this, the Commission launched a public consultation to gather the
feedback of the various stakeholders.
—
The current rules exclude Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons from the
definition of video-sharing platforms and therefore both projects are not
subject to the AVMSD specific rules, such as on child protection and on
European content. We have responded to the public consultation
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VuG6o3eLWRjvVIPfr_Ednr2aO11R6KDO/view?usp=…>
with the specific goal to maintain this exclusion and avoid that Wikimedia
project can be encompassed in the definition.
===END===
--
Wikimedia Europe ivzw
Free knowledge friends,
I’m happy to share a great opportunity: the Internet Society has
opened applications for their 2026 Community Advocacy Fellowship
<https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019d71dcedc87fcc8692fd23412c0e93>.
*WHAT*
This is a six-month fellowship designed to strengthen advocacy skills,
build regional connections, and support participants in becoming effective
Internet advocates. The program combines training, peer learning, and
hands-on engagement.
*WHY*
This fellowship offers a structured pathway to strengthen public policy
advocacy skills that are increasingly critical for protecting free
knowledge and open Internet principles. It aligns closely with Wikimedia’s
work on issues like platform regulation, access to information, and digital
rights, providing tools to engage more effectively with policymakers. It’s
also a valuable opportunity to build alliances beyond the Wikimedia
movement, expanding your influence in broader Internet governance and
advocacy spaces.
*WHEN*
- Applications open: 13 April (12:00 UTC)
- Applications close: 3 May (23:59 UTC)
- Contact: Julz Majale (fellowships(a)isoc.org)
You can find more information and apply via the Community Advocacy
Fellowship page.
All the best with your applications!
Ziski
Franziska Putz (she/her)
Senior Movement Advocacy Manager
Global Advocacy, Wikimedia Foundation
Fputz(a)wikimedia.org
UTC Timezone
Dear friends,
It's been a while! I wanted to share a few updates from the Wikimedia
Foundation's Global Advocacy team (including new narratives we're
exploring), as well as great work that Wikimedians on this list are doing.
This is a long read, but it's interesting (at least, I hope you think so)!
I recommend you save this for a Friday morning or afternoon, with your
caffeinated drink of choice and a little sweet snack. Ok, here we go...☕🍰
*Update: Advocacy network programming*
Thank you to those who took the time to respond to our survey reviewing
WMF's advocacy programming, collaboration, and communications. We are in
the process of reviewing the results and drafting suggested improvements,
and re-launching some of our regular community calls! Thank you for your
patience (and for your work, @Noah Usman <nusman-ctr(a)wikimedia.org>).
*Wikimania plans!*
Save the date! We will be hosting an advocacy day zero workshop on *Tuesday,
July 21*. This is likely to be the first half of the day. In addition to
lots of coffee, a little gossip, and general getting togetherness, we will
focus on hands-on workshops that cover:
1. Relationships maintenance with institutions: How to talk to
institutions (how to translate partnerships into impact)
2. Reverse-engineer a community campaign
👀 Watch this space for more details.
*Advocacy events where we're showing up as a movement*
1. April 14-16 | Wikimedians from across Africa are hosting sessions at
the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum in Côte d'Ivoire. See them here
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/04/07/youth-inclusion-open-data-inclusive-l…>
!
2. April 15-18 | We are attending the International Festival of
Journalism in Italy for the first time, because we believe many of the
challenges that we face in the era of AI are shared by public interest
media organizations and journalists. See how we're exploring connections
with the media ecosystem
<https://medium.com/wikimedia-policy/why-the-open-knowledge-movement-and-pub…>
.
3. April 29 | Creative Commons' campaign event in Paris, *How Can
Equitable Access to Heritage Help Solve Global Challenges?* Details in
next section.
4. May 4-8 | World Press Freedom Day & our largest ever presence at
RightsCon; this time in Zambia! Read our session line-up
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/03/16/wikimedians-champion-digital-rights-a…>
.
5. May 15-17 | ESEAP Conference!
6. June 22-26 | UN Open Source Week, NYC
7. July 6 - 10 | Three big internet governance events in Switzerland: Global
Dialogue AI Governance
<https://www.un.org/global-dialogue-ai-governance/en/roadmap>; AI for
Good <https://aiforgood.itu.int/summit26/>; WSIS Forum
<https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2026/Home/Consultations>
8. July 21-25 | 🥳Wikimania in Paris🎉 We will have a day zero, and a
series of side-events hosted by various folks on this list.
*Wikimedians are actively advocating on these topics*
*Copyright*
- Globally, Wikimedians remain at the forefront of the Creative
Commons-led campaign for UNESCO to introduce a recommendation on open
cultural heritage, with a major event
<https://openheritagestatement.org/dialogue> taking place in Paris at
the end of this month. @Brigitte Vézina <brigitte(a)creativecommons.org>
@Hardiansyah <hardiansyah(a)wikimedia.or.id> @Patricia Diaz
<patricia.diaz(a)wikimediachile.cl>
- In Nigeria, Free Knowledge Africa are running a campaign to convince
the Nigerian Copyright Commission to deploy an open access policy for
research and open heritage, as well as resolve issues with freedom of
panorama. @Olubusola Afolabi <olubusola(a)freeknowledgeafrica.org>
- In Europe, there is a LOT of work on this topic (see Dimi's recent
European Policy Monitoring Report).
- Wikimedia Brazil ran an exceptional copyright campaign as part of a
major coalition. In case you missed it, here's their recap presentation
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikimedia_Brazil_2025_Copyright_Cam…>
. @Marília Rocha <marilia.rocha(a)wmnobrasil.org> @João Alexandre
Peschanski <joalpe(a)wmnobrasil.org>
*Information integrity, freedom of information and privacy online*
- In Indonesia, WMF and Wikimedia Indonesia continue to advocate for
free, unrestricted access to Wikipedia projects and challenge the
government's mandate to register platforms (and potentially share user
data). Read Wikimedia Indonesia's open letter here
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Open_letters/Official_statement_fro…>
.
- In Ghana, Open Foundation West Africa is launching a collaborative
campaign with private publishers, media freedom groups and journalist
associations to address privacy and freedom of expression concerns
<https://mfwa.org/issues-in-focus/ghanas-new-bills-on-mis-disinformation-cyb…>
related to the recently passed Misinformation, Disinformation, Hate Speech
and Publication of Other Information Bill, 2025 (MDHI Bill 2025). @Jael
Boateng <jboateng(a)ofwafrica.org>
- In Europe, there is a LOT of work on this topic (see Dimi's recent
European Policy Monitoring Report). Including: The European Democracy
Shield is a non-binding communication, identifying a whole range of
measures that should protect EU democracy, focusing on safeguarding the
information space, strengthening democratic institutions, elections and
media, as well as boosting citizens’ engagement. Relevant measures include
the revision of the anti-SLAPP recommendation (more on how SLAPP cases
harm
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/03/14/2024-wikimedia-foundation-litigation-…>
the movement).
*Online safety laws and age-verification*
- Wikimedia received an exemption from social-media bans for young
people that were enacted in Italy and France.
- Austria and the UK are debating social media bans.
- WMUK and WMF are responding to the UK government consultation
<https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/growing-up-in-the-online-world-…>
on growing up in the digital world. @Lucy Crompton-Reid
<lucy.crompton-reid(a)wikimedia.org.uk>
- We had similar issues in Brazil
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/01/16/why-the-wikimedia-foundation-is-advoc…>earlier
this year, as well as Australia. @Lukas Ruthes Goncalves
<lrgoncalves(a)wikimedia.org>
*Do we need better messages to protect the commons?*
If we want the commons to thrive in the long term, we need stronger
narratives and a broader coalition of partners. We're taking a few
exploratory steps in that direction.
1. *WM Italia is translating the Wikipedia Test
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:The_Wikipedia_Test>!* Thank
you @lorenzo.caresio@gmail.com <lorenzo.caresio(a)gmail.com>
2. *Finding partners with Public interest journalism groups? *We’re
starting to explore how the open knowledge movement can work more closely
with public interest journalism—especially as we face shared challenges
around trust, AI, and the sustainability of the information ecosystem. You
can see our first thinking in this blog post
<https://medium.com/wikimedia-policy/why-the-open-knowledge-movement-and-pub…>and
related workshop report
<https://internetlab.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AF_internetlab_rel_in…>
.
3. *Should open knowledge be understood as critical digital
infrastructure? *We’re also considering new framing devices to help
policymakers and partners understand that knowledge is not just content or
a nice to have, it is critical digital infrastructure. Open knowledge
systems underpin democratic participation, resilience, and access to
information, and should be treated (and protected) accordingly. You can see
our initial conceptualization in this blog post
<https://wikimediapolicy.medium.com/knowledge-as-critical-digital-infrastruc…>
with
Open Knowledge Foundation.
4. *Can we build a stronger economic argument and new alliances to
sustain the digital commons?* Inspired by Open Future Foundation's
analysis
<https://openfuture.eu/blog/european-open-digital-ecosystems-and-digital-com…>
of responses to the European Commission’s call for evidence on the Open
Digital Ecosystem Strategy, we’re digging into the responses to better
understand who is making arguments similar to ours
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Input_of_the_Wikimedia_Foundation_t…>,
and where potential allies might be. A key emerging theme (also highlighted
in early analysis by Open Future) is a shift toward an “open source, and…”
framing: recognizing that openness alone is not sufficient, and that the
digital commons require sustainability mechanisms, reciprocity, and
investment in the communities that maintain them. @Alek Tarkowski
<alek(a)openfuture.eu> @Alexandra Reice <areice-ctr(a)wikimedia.org>
*=== 🙏Thanks for Reading This Far**🙏*
* ===*
Franziska Putz (she/her)
Senior Movement Advocacy Manager
Global Advocacy, Wikimedia Foundation
Fputz(a)wikimedia.org
UTC Timezone