Issues

This directive for copyright reform passed despite widespread protest from both experts and the public. Its most controversial sections were Article 13/17 (the 'upload filter') and Article 11/15 (the 'link tax'), which will likely lead to unfair pre-emptive blocking, and a stifling of online culture, due to automated content ID systems without human oversight.

This directive protects whistleblowers from retaliation for reporting wrongdoing and harm to the public interest. It provides a framework for mandatory reporting channels, anonymity and confidentiality, and responsible disclosure. It was passed with very broad agreement, and experts agree that within the limits of the EU's responsibility, it's an important step forwards.

This proposal required online content providers to remove content deemed terroristic by authorities. This included a 1 hour removal deadline, untenable for small, local companies and individuals, which would require automatic filtering in practice. The 1 hour deadline was removed by amendment, but replaced with wording that is still ambiguous ('undue delay').

Even without the deadline, this is a troubling new development in government censorship of online content. Questionable takedown notices have already been issued before, sometimes patently absurd, e.g. demanding the removal of unrelated musical performances and historical books from the Internet Archive.