The Digital Society

What The Digital Society does

The Digital Society was founded to create a non-partisan campaign focused initiative for a human-rights and consumer-friendly network policy. The Digital Society eV is a club with two full-time employees and one intern and otherwise lives exclusively on the commitment of its members.

Name

The Digital Society

Legal name

Digital Society e. V.

Website

https://digitalegesellschaft.de/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Digital Society was founded to create a non-partisan campaign focused initiative for a human-rights.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Rights Advocacy Services

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Other Social Advocacy Organizations (813319)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Rights, Privacy & Free Expression Advocacy (BPAGAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Media Freedom, Access to Information & Digital Rights (BPADAGAE), Digital Policy, Data Governance & Cybersecurity Standards Cooperation (BPADANAH)

Keywords

• Digital rights advocacy
• Civil society organization
• Net policy activism
• Privacy rights advocacy
• Digital civil liberties

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership fees (Fördermitglied): Annual supporting membership with voluntary contributions, providing recurring revenue and member engagement
2. Individual donations (Einzelspenden): One-time donations from supporters, both through direct bank transfer and via Betterplace platform
3. Foundation grants: Project-based funding from Deutsche Postcode Lotterie, Bewegungsstiftung, and Deutsche Stiftung für Engagement und Ehrenamt (DSEE) for specific initiatives like Netzpolitischer Abend
4. Merchandise sales: Spreadshirt shop for merchandise and fan articles

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Operates a German non-profit digital rights advocacy organization focused on opposing mass surveillance (chat control, data retention) and protecting digital civil liberties in Germany and the EU. Core activities include policy campaigns (most prominently 'Chatkontrolle STOPPEN!'), the monthly Netzpolitischer Abend event series at c-base Berlin since October 2011, and coalition-building with civil society partners such as the Chaos Computer Club, Digitalcourage, and EDRi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Supporting Membership (Fördermitglied)
• Netzpolitischer Abend (Network Policy Evening)
• Merchandise (Spreadshirt Shop)

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully mobilized opposition that led to European Parliament rejecting chat control extension in March 2026
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and major.

• Ada Lovelace InstituteflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026Co-organizer of the 'Fight for Us, Not for Them' summit on EU digital policy and Digital Omnibus deregulation agenda, held June 23, 2026 in Brussels with public viewing in Berlin.
• ARTICLE19flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026Co-organizer of EU digital policy summit focusing on human rights in digital regulation.
• BEUCflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026Co-organizer of the 'Fight for Us, Not for Them' EU digital policy event.
• Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026Co-organizer of EU digital policy summit.
• Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026Co-organizer of the EU digital policy event on deregulation.
• European Digital Rights (EDRi)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026Key co-organizer of the 'Fight for Us, Not for Them' summit on Digital Omnibus.
• GreenpeaceflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026Co-organizer of EU digital policy summit.
• CDT Europe, Check My Ads, People vs Big Tech, petites singularites, Stichting Data Bescherming Nederland (SDBN)flagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026Additional co-organizers of the 'Fight for Us, Not for Them' EU digital policy event.
• Chaos Computer Club (CCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Long-standing partnership in the 'Chatkontrolle STOPPEN!' campaign. CCC provides technical expertise and campaign coordination. The campaign also includes a dedicated blog, FAQ, and demonstration materials.
• DigitalcouragecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-campaign partner in 'Chatkontrolle STOPPEN!' campaign, working jointly to prevent chat control legislation in the EU.
• c-basecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHacker space venue in Berlin providing the physical location for monthly Netzpolitischer Abend events since 2011. Also provides PeerTube streaming infrastructure (c-tube.c-base.org).
• European Digital Rights (EDRi)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of the European digital rights network since the organization's founding. Participated in EDRi general assemblies, hosted 2023 celebration of EDRi's 20th anniversary, and coordinates EU-level advocacy campaigns.
• Netzwerk 'Sicherheit ohne Überwachung'coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding member of civil society network against expanded police surveillance powers. Members include: RAV, Rote Hilfe Berlin, Görli 24/7, Azadî, KOP Berlin, and Forum InformatikerInnen für Frieden und gesellschaftliche Verantwortung (FIfF e.V.).
• Netzpolitik.orgmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on net politics coverage, joint events like the 151st Netzpolitischer Abend on press freedom, and campaign coordination.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chaos Computer Club (CCC): Germany's largest hacker association and a core co-campaign partner of Digitale Gesellschaft on the 'Chatkontrolle STOPPEN!' initiative. Both organizations share Berlin roots, the c-base ecosystem, and a focus on digital rights, surveillance, and encryption policy.
• Digitalcourage: German digital rights nonprofit known for the 'Big Brother Awards' and long-standing advocacy on data retention and chat control. Direct co-campaign partner with Digitale Gesellschaft on the Chatkontrolle STOPPEN! campaign, sharing mission, audience, and policy focus.
• European Digital Rights (EDRi): European federation of digital rights NGOs of which Digitale Gesellschaft is a founding-era member. EDRi coordinates the StopScanningMe petition (124+ organizations) and the 'Fight for Us, Not for Them' summit, operating at the same EU policy level.
• netzpolitik.org: Germany's leading net politics media outlet that collaborates with Digitale Gesellschaft on joint events (e.g., 151st Netzpolitischer Abend on press freedom) and net policy coverage. Operates in the same community, audience, and advocacy space.
• Forum InformatikerInnen für Frieden und gesellschaftliche Verantwortung (FIfF e.V.): German association of computer scientists for peace and social responsibility, a partner in the 'Sicherheit ohne Überwachung' network alongside Digitale Gesellschaft. Comparable mission around technology ethics and against surveillance overreach.
• Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties): EU-wide civil liberties coalition that co-organized the 'Fight for Us, Not for Them' summit with Digitale Gesellschaft. Highly comparable EU-level advocacy footprint across civil rights, surveillance, and rule-of-law issues.

Regional players

• La Quadrature du Net: France's primary digital rights advocacy organization, focused on similar issues (chat control, encryption, content regulation) at the EU level. Highly comparable mission with regional France-focused execution.

Broad incumbents

• Access Now: International digital rights organization with a much broader geographic remit and larger budget. Operates in the same EU policy space on chat control, data protection, and platform regulation; co-organizer of the 'Fight for Us, Not for Them' summit.
• BEUC: The European Consumer Organisation, a much larger umbrella consumer-rights body that co-organized the June 2026 EU digital policy summit. Overlaps with Digitale Gesellschaft on consumer-facing digital rights issues like data protection and platform regulation.

Emerging players

• Wikimedia Deutschland: German chapter of the Wikimedia movement, focused on free knowledge and related digital policy issues including platform regulation and freedom of expression. Shares Berlin base and policy advocacy DNA but focuses on a more specialized knowledge-freedom niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvMIa4wxtS8FR239VDuUhXA
• Xx.com/digiges
• Facebookfacebook.com/DigitaleGesellschaft
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digitalegesellschaft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Digital Society