User:FabMa23/D64 – Zentrum für Digitalen Fortschritt

D64 – Zentrum für Digitalen Fortschritt e. V. is a Berlin-based think tank for digital policy, whose goal is to actively, constructively and creatively shape the public debate on societal change through the digitalisation, especially with regard to the political development of democracy in Germany. The think tank was founded in December 2011.

Founded in 2011, the membership-based think tank has set itself the goal of actively, constructively and creatively shaping this social development through digitalisation. D64 sees itself as a progressive think tank that wants to achieve political changes beyond mere reflection. D64 tries to shape the debate on the grounds of the basic values: freedom, justice and solidarity, which have to be updated against the background of digitisation.

In 2012, D64 adopted a charter with ten points. These include the demand for "free Internet access for all", "fundamental rights-oriented data protection", the "consistent digitalization of work and science" and the preservation of the "borderless Internet".

Activities
D64 has engaged and continues to engage in many debates and campaigns on digital policy. Prior Campaigns have been about the prevention of an ancillary copyright for press publishers, the prevention of data retention, the promotion of Creative Commons licenses, digital freedom of teaching materials and the prevention of upload filters in the controversial European Copyright Directive.

In addition to the campaigns, D64 regularly publishes blog articles and policy papers on various topics in the field of digital policy, e.g. a paper on artificial intelligence.

The think tank received great attention in the discussions about the introduction of data retention in Germany. Among other things, the think tank provided material for SPD divisions in order to push through a decision not to introduce data retention at the 2015 SPD Party Convention. D64 also supported the members' request of the SPD basis to cancel data retention. The law on data retention was finally passed by the Grand Coalition in 2015, and in spring 2016 D64 announced a constitutional complaint before the Federal Constitutional Court, which is still pending there.

D64 was active at various levels in the campaign for the controversial European Copyright Directive. The think tank was particularly active as a contributor to the Europe-wide protests against Article 13 of the Directive and with a campaign, generating a model letter that could be sent to MEPs.

Reception
D64 describes itself as a non-partisan think tank, though it is close to the social democratic idea in terms of values and some of the founding members are also members of the SPD.

In the press, D64 is often perceived through its campaigns in the area digital policy, especially when the think tank opposes positions of the grand coalition in general and the SPD or the SPD-led ministries in particular.

Members
The registered association has its headquarters in Berlin and is recognized as a non-profit organization. As of November 2018, the association had 496 members. The association is headed by two equal chairmen, Laura-Kristine Krause and Henning Tillmann since the last board election in 2018. The executive committee additionally consists of Dejan Mihajlovic and Lena Stork as well as the treasurer Ralf Jäger. An honorary advisory board supports the board; members are Malu Dreyer, Detlef Gürtler, Jeanette Hofmann, Gesche Joost, Tobias Kollmann and Peter Wippermann.