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Open Search Foundation e.V.

OSF

Die Open Search Foundation führt Projekte und Aktivitäten zur Schaffung der wissenschaftlich-technischen und gesellschaftlichen Grundlagen einer offen und freien Internet-Suche für und in Europa durch.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Report on the review of the Digital Decade Policy Programme

9 Jan 2026

On behalf of the OpenWebSearch Initiative we welcome the opportunity to provide feedback to the European Digital Decade Policy Program objectives and targets. Please find the feedback attached. The defined targets and objectives remain relevant. However, considering Europe's dependency on overseas technology and the geopolitical situation, Europe must act now in order to regain its competitiveness and to protect its democracy. It is crucial to now lay the financial, regulatory and organisational basis for sovereign European technology, particularly for an open European Web Data Infrastructure. A sovereign, secure, and sustainable digital infrastructure is key for implementing and reaching the European Digital Decade Policy Program objectives and targets.
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Meeting with Benedetta Scuderi (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

17 Dec 2025 · European Competitiveness Fund

Response to European Data Union Strategy

18 Jul 2025

Overseas big tech companies have established very successful services and business models in the Web that build on large-scale commercial use of Web-based text-, multimedia- and meta-data. It is important to note that, given the current regulatory situation, these services could not be built in Europe and in compliance with current EU rules and regulations. The key legal impediments involved are related to the bulk download, processing, sharing or usage of third-party content through any public Web data infrastructure or commercial Web data service. If third-party content includes personal information, copyrighted content, or illegal material, liability issues may arise for the operator of a public Web data infrastructure as well as its public or commercial downstream users. In order to overcome legal risks and to provide legal certainty, liability exemptions are necessary for altruistic providers of Web data, that adhere to standards, such as openness, transparency, and public auditing. Moving a step further, we propose a public European Web data infrastructure that also serves as a clearing house eliminating liability risks related to the bulk use of Web data in a fair manner. Liability exemptions need to be established for operators of Web data services building on data from such an altruistic provider. Establishing legal certainty related to the bulk usage of Web data will significantly improve European innovation potential and Web sovereignty in this highly relevant economic domain.
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Meeting with Lina Gálvez (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Feb 2025 · Technology, open web search

Meeting with Angelika Niebler (Member of the European Parliament)

29 Apr 2024 · Open Web Search

Meeting with Didier Reynders (Commissioner) and

24 Apr 2023 · Defence of democracy