Digital engineering creates not just far-right voters; it manufactures far-right candidates. Does the EU have the courage to take and enforce adequate structural measures to defend democracy against the weaponisation of digital platforms? How many dominoes can the EU afford to fall? by Martin Gak Defend Democracy is publishing a new analysis in the wake…
Today, 23 April 2025, the European Commission fined Meta and Apple for breaching EU law. After months of investigation and fruitless dialogue, the tech firms now have 60 days to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. Defend Democracy comments: “It is great that the European Union is leading the governance of digital technologies and…
Today, Defend Democracy co-organised the first in a series of ‘HandsOFF Our Democracy‘ protests. Our founder and executive director gave the following speech. A few months before I launched Defend Democracy*, just 50 meters from here we organised a peaceful protest in solidarity with the American ‘March for Truth’. That was in June 2017. We…
All around the globe, democracy is under threat and authoritarianism on the rise. The Trump/Musk regime openly states that the terms for global trade and exchange shall be dictated by the United States. They are aiming a big bazooka at the European standards of democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights. In other words:…
On the eve of Defend Democracy’s fifth anniversary*, we are thrilled to welcome new members to our Board and to our Advisory Board and to join the Steering Group of Netherlands’ Democracy Coalition. Alice Stollmeyer, our Founder and Executive Director, said: “Five years after being founded, our work has lost none of its relevance. If…
9 May 2024 (Europe Day), Brussels and The Hague Coalition for Democratic Resilience Defend Democracy today launches the Coalition for Democratic Resilience, strengthening our response to the growing hybrid and technological threats to democracy. The new Coalition will start work on 29 May 2024 at an international conference under the auspices of Belgium’s EU Presidency,…
Humans will soon be a minority on the internet. What does it mean for our democracy? By Chris Kremidas-Courtney, Senior Advisor, Defend Democracy According to the just-released 2024 Imperva Bad Bot Report, automated bots were found to be responsible for 49.6% of all internet traffic. Over half of these were classified as “bad bots.” In…
The age of artificial intelligence (AI) is not just approaching, it’s already upon us. It will transform our lives and challenge our values, laws, and social norms. We need a new social contract for the age of AI. Chris Kremidas-Courtney, Senior Advisor, Defend Democracy Joe Litobarski, PhD Researcher in the History of Technology & Democracy,…
The EU’s AI Act could be the start of a new era of human-centred technology development or wind up as a cynical watered-down document that forfeits European values in an ill-advised attempt to gain a competitive edge. The choice between these two futures is being made right now as EU member states negotiate the final…
Given the alarming implications for democracy and security of the take-over of Twitter by U.S. billionaire Elon Musk, Defend Democracy has sent an urgent letter to the Presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. The letter, sent to the European institutions on Sunday 30 October 2022, has been signed by…
