epicenter.works

epicenter.works – Plattform Grundrechtspolitik is an Austrian registered association (Verein) based in Vienna that works on digital rights, privacy and fundamental-rights policy. It was founded in February 2010 as the Arbeitskreis Vorratsdaten Österreich (AKVorrat.at), emerging from the 2009/2010 student protests in Austria, and renamed epicenter.works in December 2016 after its original goal — fighting EU-mandated data retention — had been substantially achieved. The organisation describes itself as a civil-society platform that defends fundamental and civil rights in the digital age: when governments demand new surveillance powers, when ever more data is collected about people, or when corporations increase profits at the public's expense, epicenter.works runs campaigns, publishes analyses and takes legal action. Its work spans data retention, surveillance legislation, net neutrality, facial recognition, gambling-related internet blocking, digital ID mandates and platform regulation. The organisation is deliberately independent and equidistant from all political parties, ideologies and corporate interests, and states that it works exclusively on the basis of facts, within the rule of law and in a solution-oriented way. It is funded by supporting members and donations, publishes transparency reports and internal documents, and maintains a community with published guidelines (Hausordnung) for its virtual and physical spaces. Structurally, epicenter.works is a small non-profit: according to its German Wikipedia entry it has two managing directors, six employees, eight volunteers and a four-member board. Its registered office is at Linke Wienzeile 12/19, 1060 Vienna. It is registered as a Verein with ZVR number 140062668, VAT ID ATU66502037 and EU Transparency Register number 881375334337-75. Its public profile is built on landmark Austrian and EU cases and campaigns, including the citizens' initiative against data retention, the 2012 constitutional complaint with 11,139 individual complaints, work on the Polizeiliches Staatsschutzgesetz, and ongoing commentary on net neutrality and surveillance. It is not a commercial company in the ordinary sense, but it operates as a branded civil-society platform with a distinct public identity, website and communications.

epicenter.works began as the Arbeitskreis Vorratsdaten Österreich (AKVorrat.at), founded on 6 February 2010 in the wake of the 2009/2010 Austrian student protests. Its initial purpose was to fight data retention and to demand a comprehensive review of surveillance legislation. In 2009, before formal founding, AKVorrat presented itself for the first time in the Audimax of the University of Vienna, which had been occupied during the student protests. In April 2011, Austria passed a law implementing the EU Data Retention Directive (2006/24/EG). In October 2011, AKVorrat launched the citizens' initiative zeichnemit.at, calling for the abolition of the EU directive and for evaluation or withdrawal of existing anti-terror laws. In November 2011, 4,500 paper signatures against data retention were handed to the Austrian parliament, and the online phase of the initiative began. By March 2012 the initiative had gathered 106,067 signatures, at that time the largest citizens' initiative in Austria's history. In April 2012, the national implementation of the EU Data Retention Directive entered into force, and a demonstration was held in Vienna to "bury privacy". AKVorrat also started a constitutional complaint (verfassungsklage.at). In June 2012, it submitted a complaint to the Constitutional Court (VfGH) supported by 11,139 individual complaints. In January 2013, the citizens' initiative was finally debated in parliament without the government taking a position against data retention. In July 2013, proceedings on the future of the Data Retention Directive began at the European Court of Justice (ECJ). In September 2013, the European Commission presented its plans for a digital single market, including rules on net neutrality. In 2015, AKVorrat worked intensively on the Polizeiliches Staatsschutzgesetz (Police State Protection Act). It published statements during planning and on every amendment, set up a petition that collected 30,078 signatures, organised a panel discussion with security spokespersons, and projected the message "Hier steht ein neuer Inlandsgeheimdienst" ("A new domestic intelligence service is being built here") onto the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counter-Terrorism. After the ECJ annulled the EU Data Retention Directive and AKVorrat presented a surveillance review in the form of the HEAT catalogue (Handlungskatalog zur Evaluierung von Anti-Terror-Gesetzen), its original goal was considered achieved. The necessary reorientation was expressed in December 2016 through the new name epicenter.works. Since then, epicenter.works has continued to work on digital rights, net neutrality, surveillance, facial recognition, digital ID mandates and platform regulation. Its website highlights campaigns and media coverage on topics such as net neutrality, zero-rating, data protection, police use of facial recognition and gambling-related internet blocking. In 2025 it marked a jubilee year and published a transparency report. The organisation remains a Vienna-based association with a small core team, volunteers and a board, and it continues to publish transparency reports and internal documents.

• 2025

  Jubilee year; transparency report published.

• 2016

  Renaming from AKVorrat.at to epicenter.works in December after the original goal was achieved.

• 2015

  Intensive work on the Polizeiliches Staatsschutzgesetz, including a petition with 30,078 signatures and a projection on the Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counter-Terrorism.

• 2013

  Citizens' initiative debated in parliament; ECJ proceedings on the future of the Data Retention Directive begin; European Commission presents digital single market plans including net neutrality rules.

• 2012

  Citizens' initiative reaches 106,067 signatures, then the largest in Austria; national data retention implementation enters into force; constitutional complaint launched.

• 2012

  Complaint with 11,139 individual complaints submitted to the Constitutional Court (VfGH).

• 2011

  Austria passes a law implementing the EU Data Retention Directive; AKVorrat launches the citizens' initiative zeichnemit.at.

• 2011

  4,500 paper signatures against data retention handed to the Austrian parliament.

• 2010

  Official founding of the association Arbeitskreis Vorratsdaten Österreich (AKVorrat) on 6 February.

• 2009

  AKVorrat presents itself for the first time in the occupied Audimax of the University of Vienna during student protests.

Independent, non-partisan civil-society platform for digital fundamental rights, funded by supporting members and donations.

• zeichnemit.at citizens' initiative

  Citizens' initiative against data retention that gathered 106,067 signatures.

• verfassungsklage.at constitutional complaint

  Constitutional complaint against data retention supported by 11,139 individual complaints.

• HEAT – Handlungskatalog zur Evaluierung von Anti-Terror-Gesetzen

  A surveillance review catalogue for evaluating anti-terror laws.

• Transparency reports

  Regular reports disclosing the organisation's own figures and activities.

1. 1epicenter.works - epicenter.worksepicenter.works
2. 2Über uns - epicenter.worksepicenter.works
3. 3Geschichte - epicenter.worksepicenter.works
4. 4Hausordnung - epicenter.worksepicenter.works
5. 5epicenter.workswikidata.org
6. 6Epicenter.worksde.wikipedia.org