The Electronic Frontier Foundation has just announced that it has hired a new European Director, taking over the duties I left off when I retired to write full time last year. I'd like to personally welcome Erik Josefsson, who will be staffing EFF's brand-new Brussels office — best of luck, Erik!
Josefsson was previously the president of the Swedish chapter of Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII.se). FFII was instrumental in defeating the proposed Software Patents Directive, which would have brought an expanded software patent scheme to Europe. Josefsson has also worked with European Digital Rights (EDRI) and other European groups in fighting against the European Parliament's adoption of the Data Retention Directive, which threatens to undo the existing pro-consumer privacy protections in Europe. In recent months, Josefsson has been part of a team of committed FFII activists opposing the proposed second Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive (IPRED2), which will impose harsh criminal sanctions and prison terms for violation of intellectual property rights, stifling technical innovation and imperiling consumers if not amended.
"Europe is at the forefront of policy developments that threaten Internet users' freedom, from unwarranted copyright term extension to mandatory data retention," said EFF International Affairs Director Gwen Hinze. "We welcome the valuable European educational and activism expertise that Erik brings to EFF Europe, and we are excited about this new opportunity to represent the public interest in the formative stages of European policy development."
