Hi all,
To all the veterans of the last EU copyright reform: It’s time to warm up
again, the Commission is starting a review of the 2019 copyright directive.
The Court of Justice has redefined the definition of systemic risk under
the DSA. And Czechia and Estonia have come out as skeptics of a social
media ban for children.
=== Copyright: CDSM Review ===
The review of the 2019 Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive
(CDSM) is gathering pace. The statutory review trigger kicks in next month,
and the Commission has been moving on multiple fronts. Still, this is very
early stages and an actual legislative proposal is likely years away.
—
Five EU member states have written to Brussels
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UIYY9A5nyXu1ah0WQFJucO6bI77ZglC4/view?usp=…>
to push for a review of the bloc's copyright rules with regards to AI. This
is consistent with the direction signalled last month by Emmanuelle du
Chalard, head of copyright at the European Commission, at an event
<https://www.aepo-artis.org/aepo-artis-wraps-up-successful-conference-on-7-y…>
organised by AEPO-ARTIS. She confirmed that evidence is being gathered for
the CDSM review, that a study comparing impact across countries is underway.
—
Indeed, the Commission has now launched the targeted public consultation
<https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/1…>
on four specific issues: challenges resulting from AI and market
developments; online piracy of live events; sound recordings; and the scope
of the scientific research exception. The consultation closes 25 June 2026.
Wikimedia Europe will respond. In parallel there is a EU wide survey
<https://horizons.confirmit.eu/wix/p181452076573.aspx> underway to
contribute to the aforementioned study. We will also submit answers.
—
Of particular relevance to us is the scientific research exception
<https://wikimedia.brussels/why-wikimedia-supports-secondary-publication-rig…>,
which is directly linked to open access to knowledge. The questions about
AI training are also of interest to our work and projects. They connect to
the ongoing debate about text and data mining exceptions flagged in last
month's report on the Parliament's AI and copyright own-initiative report.
The consultation further allows other issues to be raised, so we might
namecheck a few exceptions and limitations :)
=== Open Source Strategy ===
The European Commission appears to have quietly dropped the open source
strategy from its upcoming tech sovereignty package
<https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/eu-tech-sovereignty>,
though it is unclear whether the strategy was scrapped altogether, delayed
or folded into another initiative. The Commission has not commented. Cloud
provider Nextcloud argued that only open source software "prevents
dependencies on individual providers and allows independent security
audits," and called for procurement reform as a minimum.
—
The package is expected to be presented on 2 June and many drafts are
circulating in Brussels. The overarching question for our movement is
whether the EU will structurally move to more open source software and
content and what kind of tech investments will be prioritised. Imagine the
package as a cluster of legislative proposals on procurement rules, cloud
and AI infrastructure as well as strategic documents.
=== Age Verification ===
The political temperature remains high, but some cracks in the consensus
are starting to show.
—
Greece notified the Commission
<https://technical-regulation-information-system.ec.europa.eu/en/notificatio…>
of its draft law introducing a social media ban for minors. This follows
the anonymity ban proposal reported last month. Portugal has a bill in the
making
<https://www.parlamento.pt/ActividadeParlamentar/Paginas/DetalheIniciativa.a…>,
though we assess that it doesn’t scope Wikimedia projects in its current
version. The UK has launched a national consultation
<https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/growing-up-in-the-online-world-…>
on children and online life.
—
On the other end, Czechia stands out as a dissenting voice. The government
publicly opposes strict social media bans for children, says it is focused
on freedom of speech and concerned about overblocking. Estonia is also very
sceptical of a social media ban.
—
Somewhere in the middle is Germany's position that calls for beefed-up
protection of minors, though Berlin continues to prefer waiting for an
EU-level framework before acting nationally on age verification.
—
The French law, as we noted last month, explicitly excludes online
encyclopedias and educational resources (and even open source code
repositories) from its scope. We are monitoring each national development
carefully to ensure Wikimedia projects aren’t in scope, and engage where
necessary.
=== Blurry Images on Commons ===
A small but useful development. Wikimedia Commons is introducing a content
descriptor system
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Village_pump#Wikimedia_Commons_c…!>
that, among other things, enables the selective blurring of sensitive
images. This is relevant to our policy work: as age verification and minor
protection discussions increasingly focus on image-based harm. Having a
documented, functional content moderation mechanism on Commons is something
we can point to in conversations with regulators.
=== CSAM ===
Talks on the permanent Child Sexual Abuse Material Regulation, dubbed
“chatcontrol” by critics, continue. Very slowly. Negotiators met in May and
made progress on several elements of the proposal, but the central and most
contested question — detection orders and scanning of personal messages —
was not on the agenda. There is one political trilogue left before the
summer, scheduled for 29 June, with the Cypriot Presidency still hoping for
a breakthrough on that date.
=== DSA: CJEU Reinterprets Systemic Risks ===
A significant development for anyone following DSA enforcement. In November
2025, the Court of Justice delivered its judgment in Amazon v. European
Commission
<https://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?docid=306323>, and the
DSA Observatory has now published a thorough analysis
<https://dsa-observatory.eu/2026/05/06/what-makes-a-risk-systemic-the-cjeus-…>of
what it means for the concept of systemic risks under the DSA.
—
The core holding is this: systemic risks under the DSA are about
large-scale societal impact. A risk is systemic if it could "affect a
significant part of the population of the European Union." The Court also
implied — though did not state outright — that the list of systemic risks
in Article 34(1) of the DSA is exhaustive rather than open-ended.
—
Why it matters for Wikimedia: The Wikimedia Foundation does have to go
through an annual DSA's systemic risk exercise for Wikipedia. A narrower,
scale-and-impact-based definition could mean that the WMF can be more
proportionate and more focused in this work.
=== Digital Omnibus ===
The Digital Omnibus (covering the GDPR, NIS2, Data Act and others) is
inching. The deadline for tabling amendments in the relevant parliamentary
committees is 15 July. Compromise amendments are expected to be forged
between October and December. A final committee vote is pencilled in for
February 2027. Civil society groups continue to press that simplification
must not come at the expense of fundamental rights protections,
particularly on GDPR. Industry would like more than just a few symbolic
steps. Wikimedia Europe follows the process and reiterates its position
<https://wikimedia.brussels/editorial-wmeu-on-the-digital-omnibus-the-russme…>
where appropriate, including sharing amendment proposals with relevant
lawmakers.
=== EU Democracy Shield ===
The Commission opened a targeted stakeholder consultation
<https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-funda…>
on the European Democracy Shield, a non legislative initiative aiming at
safeguarding democracy in Europe. There were three specific strands: Safety
in politics, AI in electoral processes and anti-SLAPPs. We submitted our
positions with regard to the use of AI in elections
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WMEU_Contribution_Democracy_Shield_…>
and on how to address the phenomenon SLAPPs
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WMEU_Democracy_Shield_Targeted_Cons…>.
=== DEM-Debate ====
The last deliverable of the DEM-Debate research project, which looked at
information integrity on Wikipedia during the last European Parliament
elections, has been recently finalised: The Recommendations Report
containing a set of policy recommendations for lawmakers. Some
recommendations suggest targeted interventions on the DSA given its future
review by the end of 2027. Others draw inspiration from the Wikipedia model
and offer broader solutions that may inform future policy-making on
platform regulation.
You may read the full report
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c0oYidLZH29j1zwW4L6YETRHJ8PvJk0d/view?usp=…>
and the executive summary
<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mBRyluTxX-aK4HNxjM28qUo2QMEPoqCW/view?usp=…>
.
=== Anti-SLAPP ===
On the 7th of May, the deadline to transpose the anti-SLAPP Directive
expired and only a few member states managed to adopt it on time. There is
a good overview
<https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/NIM/?uri=CELEX:32024L1069> of
the process and adopted measures. Most countries took a minimalistic
approach and did not adopt laws introducing comprehensive protections
against SLAPPs.
—
On the topic of SLAPPs, WMEU and WMDE organised a workshop at CPDP
<https://www.cpdpconferences.org/workshops/a-perfect-slapp-how-the-do-paco-c…>,
particularly focused on the Do Paço case. It was a great opportunity to
explain the Wikipedia model and highlight some contradictions between the
implementation of GDPR and the freedom of expression. The presentation
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CPDP_Workshop_Presentation_May_2026…>
is accessible on Commons.
===END===
--
Wikimedia Europe ivzw
Dear free knowledge friends,
We're in the middle of a busy season and there's no shortage of policy
developments to share. Your (not comprehensive, definitely missing things)
recap below. Please note I'm out of office from *May 18 - July 13;* should
you need something from the WMF team during this time please contact the
right individual
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation/Legal/Global_Advocacy/…>or
our generic globaladvocacy(a)wikimedia.org. If you need something related to
this list, Dimi from WMEU is your guy!
*Submit a MozFest session?*
MozFest, the annual conference hosted by the Mozilla Foundation to
celebrate the open source community is now accepting proposals. The proposal
deadline
<https://appv2.sessionboard.com/submit/mozfest-2026/84f42512-cfc7-421a-9ded-…>
is May 24th. The theme is "wilding": what happens when we loosen rigid
systems and create the conditions for communities and technologies to
evolve collectively, naturally, intuitively? Submissions should explore
what it means to let our digital worlds grow wilder, more diverse, and more
alive. It means community-owned mesh networks, federated platforms, open
protocols, community archives and tools built on transparency, trust and
mutual flourishing.
A little birdie shared that this year they want to make it feel like even
more of a festival, so a real focus on P&T demos, activations, and
installations of all kinds. That's where you all come in. I'm thinking
of @Richard
Knipel <richard(a)wikimedianyc.org>'s event at the AI Impact Summit, @Lydia
Pintscher <lydia.pintscher(a)wikimedia.de> anything WikiData related, and of
course, this fits beautifully with @Evelin Heidel <eheidel(a)wikimedistas.uy> 's
work with the Climate Justice Working Group. If you're not sure where to
start, talk to @Sadik Shahadu <uniques.sadike(a)gmail.com> - he's had
multiple sessions accepted over the past few years.
*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. There's a
few immediate changes we have lined-up, and a few sticky questions we'll be
digging into via focus groups after Wikimania. For now...
You said it’s not always clear where to find updates ➡️ We will centralize
updates more clearly through the policy mailing list and streamline where
key information is shared on Meta-Wiki. Details to be discussed in the
focus group.
You said quarterly advocacy calls and monthly internet governance calls are
the most useful formats, but timezones are hard ➡️ We will continue
investing in these calls and explore adding more regional and thematic
policy briefings. We will start rotating timezones for regular calls.
You said you want more opportunities for direct support from peers and
collaboration ➡️ We will continue building spaces for peer exchange and
relationship-building.
You said Day Zero workshops would benefit from more practical exercises ➡️ We
will incorporate more real-world scenarios and role-playing into future
workshops.
*Wikimania plans!*
The advocacy day zero workshop is live! Feel free to register by adding
your name to the event Meta-Wiki page
<https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/2026:Wikimania/Day_Zero_Advocacy_Works…>.
This will run on Tuesday, *July 21,* 2026, in-person only, at the
conference venue, from *14:30 - 16:30*. We've got some great stories to
share from the Wikimedia movement, including features from UN engagements,
copyright in Brazil and Nigeria, and more.
*What WMF has been up to...*
1. 🎉 The Wikimedia Foundation is now an official member
<https://wikimediafoundation.org/news/2026/05/13/wikimedia-foundation-joins-…>of
the UN-endorsed Digital Public Goods Alliance. We've committed to
an advocacy
initiative and a P&T initiative
<https://new.digitalpublicgoods.net/roadmap/9e4d7409-9cb0-4072-ae16-eaceedb8…>
as part of our membership. Practically, it will strengthen our
relationships with important players and access to global fora where
decisions are made about the future of the internet and the role of the
open knowledge movement within that future. Please incorporate this into
any external talking points! Here is some guidance
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/14XS-rJERlp6WCIwFBbvAXWUld1AJkcBSNSSMQ2x…>
on how.
2. Unblocking access to Wikipedia for editors in Indonesia. Overview of our
work
<https://www.thejakartapost.com/business/2026/05/01/wikimedia-completes-indo…>;
and you can put this in the broader context of DNS blocking as a tactic, as
documented in this report from Article19
<https://www.article19.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/ARTICLE-19_DNS-Abuse_F…>
.
3. We participated in the stakeholder consultations leading up to the UN
Global Dialogue on AI Governance
<https://www.un.org/global-dialogue-ai-governance/en> this July in
Geneva, in close coordination with Wikimedia Switzerland and Wikimedia
Deutschland. You can see our written submission here
<https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WMF_Submission_to_the_UN_Global_Dia…>.
Amalia Toledo, our policy expert for Latin America, joined a related event
hosted by the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) to
gather input from civil society and Global Majority stakeholders to inform
the July 2026 Global Dialogue on AI Governance. Amalia’s takeaway: *We
need to be very clear in our message and make a specific demand. AI cannot
remain accurate or reliable if its extractive business practices deplete
the people-governed digital ecosystems on which it depends. We must demand
a governance model that ensures fair reuse, attribution, and direct support
for the human infrastructure of digital public goods.*
4. You can find a full recap of our April activities here
<https://diff.wikimedia.org/2026/04/05/dont-blink-protecting-the-wikimedia-m…>
.
*What Wikimedians and allies have been up to...*
*Awareness raising about Wikimedia's unique model and value in the age of
AI*
- @Friederike von Franqué <friederike.vonfranque(a)wikimedia.de> from WMDE
was on The Good Robot podcast, covering how feminist principles and
decentralized infrastructure are transforming the internet from a corporate
service into a public commons. Take a listen
<https://open.spotify.com/episode/0SBkOol7WJ5GiX3rNAe4re?si=4nKbrr3FSYOm44_d…>
!
- @Gonzalo Bazgan <gonzalo(a)wikimedia.org.ar> from Argentina, @Regine
Njiké <2nregine(a)gmail.com> from Cameroon, and others have or are about
to host informal information sharing events with local offices for the UN
Department of Global Communications to help strengthen awareness of the
important work Wikimedians do to strengthen information integrity.
- @Daria Cybulska <daria.cybulska(a)wikimedia.org.uk> @Sally Latham
<sally.latham(a)wikimedia.org.uk> from WMUK co-hosted a networking
breakfast with me in London about *Information Integrity in the Age of
AI.* Attendees included policy think tanks, children's rights
organizations, academics, and publishers. These groups often talk to each
other in 1:1 settings, but don't always have as wide of a network as
Wikimedia groups do given our position as a platform operator, information
broker, product owner, and civil society group all in one. Leaning into
this convening power is something we can do in all countries.
*Better arguments and new friends to protect open source and the digital
commons?*
- Our friends at Open Knowledge @Alek Tarkowski
<alek(a)openfuture.eu> and @Aditya
Singh <aditya(a)openfuture.eu> are consolidating a joint research
initiative in which we've reviewed all responses to the European Open
Digital Ecosystems consultation in order to identify new policy arguments
we can adapt, and new partners we may want to work with to better advocate
for protections for the digital commons. Relatedly, the European Commission
has removed the Open Source Strategy from its latest indicative list of
points to be discussed at the Commission meetings. We expect more
information to be shared shortly about how/where this will be pursued
instead. Watch this space.
- @Amalia Toledo <atoledo(a)wikimedia.org> and @Renata Avila
<renata.avila(a)okfn.org> are investigating what it means to understand
and treat open knowledge as critical infrastructure
<https://medium.com/wikimedia-policy/knowledge-as-critical-digital-infrastru…>.
This is the advocacy work we'll be pursuing through our DPGA membership.
Here's exactly what we committed to
<https://new.digitalpublicgoods.net/roadmap/9e4d7409-9cb0-4072-ae16-eaceedb8…>
.
*Copyright*
- On April 29th, many on this list were in Paris for the Exploratory
Dialogue <https://openheritagestatement.org/dialogue> event that CC
hosted at UNESCO to celebrate the Open Heritage Statement
<https://openheritagestatement.org/>. This event was a masterclass in
two things: (1) how to put on excellent panels that feature diverse
perspectives and concrete case studies about why open knowledge matters;
(2) clear, concise talking points about the value of open knowledge.
Luckily, you can find many of those talking points here
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/13SF4F3jBk6pnD_3-ZS1exwyAerQtll4Z5a9rKj0…>and
watch the recordings.
<https://creativecommons.org/2026/05/06/how-can-equitable-access-to-heritage…>
@Brigitte Vézina <brigitte(a)creativecommons.org> @Dee Harris
<dee(a)creativecommons.org>
*Online safety laws and age-verification in EU*
- The EU's age verification app is technically ready
<https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-says-age-verification-app-is-technically…>,
von der Leyen announced, telling online platforms they have "no more
excuses" for not checking users' ages. The app lets people verify their age
via passport, national ID, or trusted providers like banks, without
platforms logging any personal data. 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. 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. WMEU will work towards national laws and any eventual EU-level
framework following suit.
- Greece has announced plans
<https://www.euractiv.com/news/greece-to-ban-anonymity-on-social-media/>
to end anonymity on social media, requiring platforms to link all accounts
to verified real identities. 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.
- *Confused by all of this? Same. Some readings: *(1) A new IETF working
draft
<https://mallory.github.io/draft-knodel-age-arch/draft-knodel-age-arch.html?…>
sets out a technology-neutral framework for age assurance on the internet,
comparing methods across service, device, and network enforcement layers.
(2) Researchers from Harvard's Berkman Klein Center argue in Science
<https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec7804?ref=internet.exchangepo…>
that blanket social media bans and age restrictions for children are blunt,
often counterproductive tools; additional academic research
<https://mikespecter.com/assets/pdf/AgeVerification.pdf> is starting to
come out. (3) Overview of why these tools may be bad for privacy
<https://spectrum.ieee.org/age-verification> rights.
- *Still confused? Same. *WMF is working on a series of explainers that
breakdown where this trend came from, how it affects our projects, what
actions WMF and affiliates have taken around the world thus far, and what
we need to do as a movement to prepare for how this trend will
advance. @Stan
Adams <sadams(a)wikimedia.org> @Amanda Jardine <ajardine(a)wikimedia.org>
*=== 🙏That's all (and only some of it) for now**🙏*
* ===*
Franziska Putz (she/her)
Senior Movement Advocacy Manager
Global Advocacy, Wikimedia Foundation
Fputz(a)wikimedia.org
UTC Timezone
Dear all,
I am pleased to invite you to join us in Paris for our
*day zero advocacy workshop*.
This event builds on similar events designed by WMF and the Wikimedia
Advocacy Network to bring together Wikimedians and free knowledge allies to
exchange skills and experiences in order to deepen our collaboration and
impact.
To register, just add your name to the event Meta-Wiki page
<https://wikimania.wikimedia.org/wiki/2026:Wikimania/Day_Zero_Advocacy_Works…>
.
*Event overview*
🗓️ Tuesday, July 21, 2026, in-person only
📍Conference venue
🕜 14:30 - 16:30
This meeting is open to Wikimedians and allies outside of the Wikimedia
movement with prior experience in public policy advocacy. It will consist
of two short learning sessions and a longer workshop portion.
1. A session on *how to reverse-engineer a community campaign*. will
take participants on a journey through the Nigerian and Global copyright
initiatives. We will deconstruct and understand the different elements of
each.
2. A session on* relationships maintenance with institutions:* during
which Wikimedians will share their experiences with building partnerships
with institutions at the the UN and national levels.
3. *A communications training *where you will learn how to explain a
complicated issue (e.g. encryption) to different groups.
4. .....and if we have time, *an advocacy match-making clinic:*
Experienced free knowledge advocates are there to answer your questions and
help you design and plan your next steps.
Hope to see you there.
Ziski & Dimi
Franziska Putz (she/her)
Senior Movement Advocacy Manager
Global Advocacy, Wikimedia Foundation
Fputz(a)wikimedia.org
UTC Timezone