The digital revolution changes the social and economic structures throughout Europe. Free and equal access to the internet is the basic requirement for participation in digital life. PIRATES wish to include the right to “digital participation” in the European Charter of Fundamental Rights. We strongly support the European-wide development of a state of the art communication- infrastructure by the EU. Our goal is to provide access to broadband for everyone in the EU. The principle of network-neutrality must become European law to ensure strong incentives for investment, fair competition and equal treatment of everyone in the digital space. While networks are improved and modernized, any monopoly over the communication- infrastructure must be avoided.

We PIRATES reject a constraint to use legal names on the Internet.

We are committed to guarantee citizens the anonymous access to the Internet and the users of social networks and similar services a pseudonymous and an autonymous access to these services by law. The freedom of expression and self-definition of a person may not be curtailed for reasons of ostensible safety.

We PIRATES are committed to give every person the ability to encrypt electronic communications for a tap-proof correspondence and to sign digitally in a legally-binding way. To this end encryption technologies need to be legalized in the EU and their use is to be taught and promoted.

This is to ensure that unauthorized third parties (e.g. companies and public authorities) are not able to decrypt the encrypted content. Encryption alone may never justify a “reasonable suspicion” for surveillance measures.

Digital identity. The fundamental prerequisite for the e-government is a working identity verification system for Internet communication with public administration. One of the available options will be an e-ID with e-signature made free of charge.

G) Legal Guarantee for Anonymous, Pseudonymous and Autonymous Access to Network Services (further discussion/clarification necessary)

Do you want to rule out the possibility that a private internet group requires participants to disclose their name/identity? May need some additional clarification if this is not the case and, if it is the case, then we forsee that it might be polemic among our bases/not ratified in the end, so we would recommend removing it.

1.7.4 Free, Legally-Binding Digital Signatures and E-Mail Encryption for Everyone Needs to be rephrased if we want to keep it. I would suggest that you get in touch with our MEP Amelia who is currently working on the EU legislation on this.