La Quadrature du Net ('' Squaring the Net'' in French) is a French

advocacy group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...

that promotes

digital rights Digital rights are those human rights and Natural and legal rights, legal rights that allow individuals to access, use, create, and publish digital media or to access and use computers, other Consumer electronics, electronic devices, and teleco ...

and freedoms for its citizens. It advocates for French and European legislation to respect the founding principles of the Internet, most notably the free circulation of knowledge. ''La Quadrature du Net'' engages in public-policy debates concerning, for instance,

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...

, regulation of telecommunications and online

privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

Etymology

The name of the group is based on

squaring the circle Squaring the circle is a problem in geometry first proposed in Greek mathematics. It is the challenge of constructing a square (geometry), square with the area of a circle, area of a given circle by using only a finite number of steps with a ...

(), an unsolvable mathematical problem. According to the collective, it is "impossible to effectively control the flow of information in the digital age by law and technology without harming public freedoms and damaging economic and social development". The collective makes an analogy with the squaring of the circle as a problem that could take ages for people to realize is impossible to solve, as initially intended.

Creation and structure

The group was founded in 2008 by

free software Free software, libre software, libreware sometimes known as freedom-respecting software is computer software distributed open-source license, under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, distribut ...

promoters and activists. In 2013, the collective re-organized from a de facto association to a formal (French law) association. This association was founded by 9 long-time participants or helpers of the initial collective.

Leadership

Philippe Aigrain, author of two books on information commons, is one of the co-founders of the collective and the association. Jérémie Zimmermann, also co-founder of both collective and association, is frequently invited to television programs and interviews, defending and raising awareness about the association's positions and opposition to the many projects they consider threaten fundamental liberties and the Internet (French HADOPI law, European Telecoms Package, ACTA,

Net Neutrality Net neutrality, sometimes referred to as network neutrality, is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all Internet communications equally, offering User (computing), users and online content providers consistent tra ...

, etc.

Actions

La Quadarature du Net gained notoriety by fighting the

HADOPI law The French HADOPI law (, English: "Supreme Authority for the Distribution of Works and Protection of Copyright on the Internet") or Creation and Internet law () was introduced during 2009, providing what is known as a graduated response as a mean ...

, a controversial project to establish a graduated response in France. Its action against

Internet censorship Internet censorship is the legal control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed on the Internet. Censorship is most often applied to specific internet domains (such as ''Wikipedia.org'', for example) but exceptionally may ...

and supporting

Net neutrality Net neutrality, sometimes referred to as network neutrality, is the principle that Internet service providers (ISPs) must treat all Internet communications equally, offering User (computing), users and online content providers consistent tra ...

led the ''Quadrature'' to work on subjects such as the LOPPSI law, the Telecoms Package or ACTA. In 2012 ''Quadrature'' spokesman and co-founder Jérémie Zimmermann received a Pioneer award for his action against ACTA.

Recognition and support

The ''Quadrature'' is supported by other advocacy and free software groups, including the

Electronic Frontier Foundation The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is an American international non-profit digital rights group based in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1990 to promote Internet civil liberties. It provides funds for legal defense in court, ...

and the

Free Software Foundation The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Richard Stallman on October 4, 1985. The organisation supports the free software movement, with the organization's preference for software being distributed ...

References

External links

* *
La Quadrature du Net's Wiki
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Quadrature du Net, la Computer law organizations Internet-related activism Digital rights organizations Political organizations based in France Intellectual property activism Privacy organizations