After several years of debate and intense, final negotiations lasting into the night, EU legislators reached a political agreement on the proposed Digital Services Act (DSA). DSA will regulate digital services that act as intermediaries – online platforms like social media and marketplaces – and their role of connecting consumers with goods, services, and content.

According to official press releases outlining the contours of the agreement, these services will have to take measures to protect their users from illegal content, goods and services. This includes transparent advertising and rules to mitigate disinformation. In short, what is illegal offline is also illegal online – a principal Creative Commons (CC) fully endorses.

Creative Commons will carefully study the details of the agreement once published but by way of initial reaction, we applaud the EU in its desire to become a first-mover in seeking to create a regulatory and legislative framework that both enables technology firms to operate whilst at the same time protecting end-users’ fundamental rights.

Speaking of the deal, CC’s CEO Catherine Stihler said:

“I’d like to pay tribute to Commissioners Vestager and Breton, to the French Presidency and to my former colleague Christel Schaldemose for their hard work and dedication in delivering this landmark piece of legislation.”

Creative Commons particularly welcomes elements of the proposal such as enhanced accountability, greater transparency and the grounding of the legislation in fundamental values and rights such as freedom of expression and data protection.

“Ensuring citizens are protected from disinformation and manipulation when accessing online information, goods and services is of primordial importance if we are to ensure trust in the technologies and digital companies that play an ever-larger part in our lives” said Catherine.

CC particularly welcomes the zero tolerance stance on cyber-violence and the prohibition on the use of sensitive, personal data in online advertising.

The DSA is an important and significant step towards combating some of the societal challenges linked to an increasingly digitalized world. CC will continue to monitor these developments and support public interest technologies whose values are citizen centered.

The post Creative Commons welcomes landmark agreement in Europe on Digital Services Act appeared first on Creative Commons.

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Welcome to episode 24 of Open Culture VOICES! VOICES is a vlog series of short interviews with open GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) experts from around the world. The Open Culture Program at Creative Commons aims to promote better sharing of cultural heritage in GLAMs collections. With Open Culture VOICES, we’re thrilled to bring you various perspectives from dozens of experts speaking in many different languages on what it’s like to open up heritage content online. In this episode, we hear from George Oates, Executive Director of the Flickr Foundation. George is an Australian-born designer and entrepreneur best known for being the first designer of the photo sharing website Flickr and for creating the Flickr Commons program. She’s been working in the cultural heritage sector since 2007, and is increasingly seen as a go-to expert on digital archives.

George responds to the following questions: 

1. What are the main benefits of open GLAM?
2. What are the barriers?
3. Could you share something someone else told you that opened up your eyes and mind about open GLAM?
4. Do you have a personal message to those hesitating to open up collections?

Closed captions are available for this video, you can turn them on by clicking the CC icon at the bottom of the video. A red line will appear under the icon when closed captions have been enabled. Closed captions may be affected by Internet connectivity — if you experience a lag, we recommend watching the videos directly on YouTube.

Episodes will be released twice a week until June 2022. Missed episode 23 of our Open Culture VOICES series? Catch up here >>

The post Episode 24: Open Culture VOICES – George Oates appeared first on Creative Commons.

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Welcome to episode 23 of Open Culture VOICES! VOICES is a vlog series of short interviews with open GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) experts from around the world. The Open Culture Program at Creative Commons aims to promote better sharing of cultural heritage in GLAMs collections. With Open Culture VOICES, we’re thrilled to bring you various perspectives from dozens of experts speaking in many different languages on what it’s like to open up heritage content online. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Catherine (Katie) Eagleton, Director of Libraries and Museums at the University of St Andrews. Throughout her career, Katie’s work has combined library, archival and museum collections. Moving into the cultural heritage sector after completion of her PhD at the University of Cambridge, she became a curator in the British Museum, developing new projects on global history and the history of Africa, and then Head of Asian and African Collections for the British Library, initiating many large digitization projects, international collaborations, and service improvement projects.

Katie responds to the following questions: 

1. What are the main benefits of open GLAM?
2. What are the barriers?
3. Could you share something someone else told you that opened up your eyes and mind about open GLAM?
4. Do you have a personal message to those hesitating to open up collections?

Closed captions are available for this video, you can turn them on by clicking the CC icon at the bottom of the video. A red line will appear under the icon when closed captions have been enabled. Closed captions may be affected by Internet connectivity — if you experience a lag, we recommend watching the videos directly on YouTube.

Episodes will be released twice a week until June 2022. Missed episode 22 of our Open Culture VOICES series? Catch up here >>

The post Episode 23: Open Culture VOICES — Catherine Eagleton appeared first on Creative Commons.

Creative Commons’ Open Culture Remix Art Contest #CCSharesCulture is open until 30 April 2022. So there’s still plenty of time to remix existing art and turn it into something fresh and exciting under the theme “Love Culture? Share Culture!”

In the run up to the submission deadline, we are introducing our panel of experts, who will judge the entries based on their conformity with the theme, expression of the theme, originality, creativity, quality, artistic expression, personal expression, visual appeal, and overall impact. Get to know one of our six judges, João Pombeiro, in this Q&A blog post. 

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Who are you?

I am a Portuguese creative mastermind (self-titled) who works as a visual artist, screenwriter, director, animator, art director and part-time visionary.

What does “better sharing” of culture mean to you?

I think it’s something that allows us to rethink history and, therefore, the present. And as a result of that process, a new culture is produced and shared. So, in a way, “Better Sharing” is a matter of cultural sustainability.

How can open access to cultural heritage stimulate creativity?

As a creator that works with collage, it allowed me to have a deeper contact with archives and new materials to work with. To see and think about new “old imagery” in a new perspective and context is one of my favorite creative tools.

What advice would you give to folks who are in two minds about entering CC’s Open Culture Remix Art Contest?
Do it now, regret it later.

What sparked your passion for “open” culture?
It was the possibility to get past the basic stock photo/footage approach that most creatives find themselves limited to. And thanks to that, to achieve better work without any kind of legal worries.

What excites you about being a judge for CC’s Open Culture Remix Art Contest?
To be a part of this amazing movement, and to see first-hand what people do with the archives, of course.

Submit your artwork before 30 April here >>

By submitting an entry to the contest, you agree to the Creative Commons Open Culture Remix Art Contest Rules. 

Questions?

If you have any questions about the contest, please contact us at communications@creativecommons.org.

The post Meet the Judges #CCSharesCulture: João Pombeiro appeared first on Creative Commons.

Creative Commons’ Open Culture Remix Art Contest #CCSharesCulture is open until 30 April 2022. So there’s still plenty of time to remix existing art and turn it into something fresh and exciting under the theme “Love Culture? Share Culture!”

In the run up to the submission deadline, we are introducing our panel of experts, who will judge the entries based on their conformity with the theme, expression of the theme, originality, creativity, quality, artistic expression, personal expression, visual appeal, and overall impact. Get to know one of our six judges, Yana Buhrer Tavarnier, in this Q&A blog post.

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Who are you?

I am the cofounder and executive director of Fine Acts, a global nonprofit creative studio for social impact. An activist with a background in investigative journalism, I explore human rights innovation at the intersections of activism, art, tech and science. I am also cofounder of TimeHeroes.org, the largest volunteer platform in Bulgaria. I have a BA in communication and MA in political science from Sofia University, along with executive education at Harvard University, Yale University, Oxford University, and NTU-Singapore. I am a TED Senior Fellow, a Fulbright Scholar, a WEF Young Global Leader, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

What does “better sharing” of culture mean to you?

“Better sharing” means better us. 

How can open access to cultural heritage stimulate creativity?

Removing barriers to cultural heritage and allowing people to remix content unlocks incredible creative potential – with the power to interpret the present in new, profound ways; to create fresh meaning and understanding; to build community and empathy.

What advice would you give to folks who are in two minds about entering CC’s Open Culture Remix Art Contest?

Join! This contest is all about play – and what better is there? Being the author of the concept of ‘playtivism’ – that refers to creating spaces for multidisciplinary play and experimentation in activism – I am a huge fan of play. Creative play sparks better ideas, it brings us joy, a much needed levity, as well as the feeling that ‘we got this’.

What sparked your passion for “open” culture?

I believe that openness is the greatest impact amplifier. This is why tons of what we at Fine Acts produce is open-source, and free to use by others. 

What excites you about being a judge for CC’s Open Culture Remix Art Contest?
The vastness of the potential, the shorelessness of what to expect. 

Submit your artwork before 30 April here >>

By submitting an entry to the contest, you agree to the Creative Commons Open Culture Remix Art Contest Rules. 

Questions?

If you have any questions about the contest, please contact us at communications@creativecommons.org.

The post Meet the Judges #CCSharesCulture: Yana Buhrer Tavarnier appeared first on Creative Commons.