Bits of Freedom

What Bits of Freedom does

Bits of Freedom is a Dutch non-profit foundation (Stichting Bits of Freedom, ANBI-designated) founded in 2000/2001 and headquartered in Amsterdam at Prinseneiland 97hs. The organization advocates for internet freedom by defending online civil liberties — primarily communications freedom and privacy — through a combination of policy lobbying, legal action, public campaigns, research, and media engagement. It serves Dutch citizens and, increasingly, European users, with a small team of approximately 15 staff (including director Evelyn Austin and policy advisors such as Rejo Zenger and Nadia Benaissa).

The organization's core products are advocacy outputs rather than commercial software. Flagship offerings include My Data Done Right (a GDPR data-rights request tool used by tens of thousands of citizens across multiple EU countries), the long-running annual Big Brother Awards ceremony (since 2001), a podcast series on internet freedom, and recurring campaigns on topics such as biometric surveillance (Reclaim Your Face), intimate data protection (Blijf Uit Mijn Digitale Onderbroek), youth and addictive design (Snapchat gamification study), and platform regulation (Blijf Luid under the DSA). Underlying technology is deliberately minimal and open-source: a self-hosted Matomo analytics instance, CiviCRM for donor/contact management, and WordPress for the website, with privacy-first data handling (IP masking, no tracking, minimal cookies).

Bits of Freedom operates a community-led, donation-funded go-to-market. Revenue streams are (1) recurring monthly donations via SEPA direct debit through Triodos Bank, (2) one-time donations via Mollie (iDEAL, credit card, PayPal, Bancontact, SOFORT) and bitcoin via Bitonic, (3) tax-deductible giving under ANBI status, and (4) merchandise sales through an owned webshop (supporter socks, webcam covers, T-shirts, towels, "dumb doorbell," redaction fluid, rain jacket, patches, stickers). Distribution is direct-to-supporter: owned website, biweekly newsletters, social media, the annual Big Brother Awards event, parliamentary engagement, and coalition work via EDRi and the Reclaim Your Face coalition of 40 European organizations. No parent company, private equity, or venture capital ownership is identified.

Name

Bits of Freedom

Legal name

Stichting Bits of Freedom (Bof)

Website

https://bitsoffreedom.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bits of Freedom is a Dutch non-profit foundation founded in 2001 and based in Amsterdam that advocates for online privacy and communications freedom through policy work, legal action, campaigns, and tools such as My Data Done Right, funded by donations and merchandise sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Rights Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Rights, Privacy & Free Expression Advocacy (BPAGAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Media Freedom, Access to Information & Digital Rights (BPADAGAE), Privacy Governance & Consent Management (HDADAIAI)

Keywords

• Digital rights advocacy
• Internet freedom
• Privacy protection
• GDPR data rights
• Surveillance policy

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Primary revenue stream through recurring monthly donations (via SEPA direct debit through Triodos Bank) and one-time donations (via Mollie payment module). Donors receive @freedom.nl email address option for monthly contributions of €10 or more, plus quarterly exclusive donor updates and newsletter subscriptions.
2. Merchandise Sales: Webshop sales of branded merchandise including supporters socks (€11+), T-shirts (€25), webcam covers (€5), stickersets, towel (€25), patches, rain jacket (€10+), 'dumb' doorbell, and novelty items like redacting fluid. Production in EU, shipped via PostNL.
3. Tax-Deductible Giving: As an ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling - Public Benefit Organization) designated by Dutch Tax Authority, donations may be tax-deductible for Dutch taxpayers, enabling larger charitable contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Bits of Freedom is a Dutch digital rights non-profit foundation that advocates for online privacy and communications freedom through policy influence, legal action, public campaigns (including the Big Brother Awards), and research that informs EU and Dutch regulation (AI Act, GDPR, DSA, DMA). It operates the My Data Done Right tool that enables EU citizens to exercise GDPR data subject rights and files privacy complaints with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens). The organization funds its mission through individual donations, corporate sponsors, and a webshop selling privacy-themed merchandise.

Product overview

Bits of Freedom is a Dutch digital rights organization that operates as a platform with multiple distinct products and initiatives. The core offerings include: (1) My Data Done Right, a GDPR rights enforcement tool enabling users to submit data access and deletion requests to companies; (2) The Big Brother Awards, an annual awards ceremony since 2001 recognizing privacy violators; (3) A podcast series discussing internet freedom topics; and (4) An online shop selling privacy-themed merchandise including webcam covers, supporter socks, scarves, stickers, patches, bags, and various accessories. The organization also runs advocacy campaigns on topics including youth and technology, AI regulation, platform regulation, biometric surveillance, and data rights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• My Data Done Right: A tool developed by Bits of Freedom enabling users to exercise their GDPR rights by requesting access to their personal data held by companies and institutions.
• Big Brother Awards
• Blijf Uit Mijn Digitale Onderbroek
• Blijf Luid

Products and services

• My Data Done Right A multilingual, multi-country tool enabling EU citizens to exercise GDPR rights by generating data access, correction, and deletion requests against companies and institutions, with request tracking and reminders. Used by tens of thousands across dozens of European countries.
• Big Brother Awards Annual award ceremony since 2001 that names and shames persons, companies, and governments making the largest infringement on privacy and digital freedom in the Netherlands, featuring both an expert jury prize and a public vote. Held at Vlaams Cultuurhuis de Brakke Grond, Amsterdam.
• Bits of Freedom Podcast (Platforms & Big Tech) A podcast series produced by Bits of Freedom across multiple seasons, discussing internet topics, platform regulation, big tech practices, and digital rights issues. Available for subscription.
• Supporterssokken (Supporter Socks) Branded supporter socks produced in the EU and sold via the Bits of Freedom webshop to fund the organization's work, with pricing from €11.
• Donatie (Donation Membership) Donation and sustainer offering available at tiered amounts from €5 to €500, including recurring monthly donations via SEPA direct debit, one-time donations via Mollie, and bitcoin donations via Bitonic. Donors contributing €10+/month receive an @freedom.nl email address and quarterly exclusive updates; Dutch taxpayers may deduct under ANBI designation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Won court case forcing Meta to offer chronological feeds in Netherlands
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EDRi (European Digital Rights)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Bits of Freedom is a member of the EDRi network, a coalition of European digital rights organizations. Together they conduct research (e.g., Snapchat gamification study), advocate for EU legislation (AI Act, Digital Fairness Act), and coordinate pan-European campaigns including Reclaim Your Face biometric surveillance ban initiative.
• Reclaim Your Face Coalition (40 European Organizations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 40 European civil society organizations working together on the Reclaim Your Face European Citizen Initiative to ban biometric mass surveillance. Bits of Freedom participates alongside organizations from across the EU to collect 1 million signatures required for the initiative.
• MollieminorOthersPayment service provider handling one-time donations and webshop transactions. Mollie processes personal data as data controller for payment processing. One-time donations executed via Mollie's payment module.
• Triodos BankminorOthersDutch sustainable bank that processes recurring SEPA direct debit donations for Bits of Freedom. Bits of Freedom receives periodic data for collection of standing orders, limited to data necessary for payment collection.
• BitonicminorOthersDutch cryptocurrency exchange used for processing bitcoin donations. Note: donations may be linkable to Bits of Freedom due to blockchain transparency; true anonymity not possible.
• SoverinminorOthersEmail service provider for @freedom.nl email addresses offered to donors contributing €10/month or more. Has its own terms and privacy policy.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EDRi (European Digital Rights): Pan-European coalition of digital rights NGOs of which Bits of Freedom is a member. Directly comparable mission (privacy, surveillance, platform regulation) and joint research output (e.g., Snapchat gamification study with EDRi).
• NOYB (None Of Your Business): Austrian privacy NGO run by Max Schrems, focused on GDPR enforcement through strategic litigation. Highly comparable on complaint-driven advocacy against Big Tech data practices.
• Privacy International: UK-based NGO focused on state and corporate surveillance, data protection, and privacy advocacy. Directly comparable mission, EU/UK policy engagement, and litigation-led model.
• La Quadrature du Net: French digital rights organization advocating on privacy, net neutrality, and platform regulation. Direct peer on EU policy advocacy and grassroots campaign mobilization.
• Access Now: International digital rights organization active in EU policy, privacy, surveillance, and platform regulation. Direct peer on AI Act, DSA, and biometric surveillance advocacy.

Broad incumbents

• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): Largest and most established digital rights organization globally, with broader scope (US + international) and significantly larger budget. Comparable across privacy, free expression, and platform accountability missions.
• Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT): Larger US- and EU-active think tank/advocacy group working on privacy, AI, and platform regulation. Comparable on policy and litigation engagement; significantly broader scope and resources.

Regional players

• Open Rights Group: UK-based digital rights NGO working on privacy, data protection, and platform regulation. Comparable on advocacy model and policy engagement; serves UK rather than Dutch jurisdiction.
• Digitale Gesellschaft (Digital Society): Swiss digital rights organization focused on privacy, surveillance, and platform regulation. Comparable mission and EU-adjacent policy engagement without direct Dutch market overlap.

Others

• Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (Dutch DPA): Dutch Data Protection Authority that receives Bits of Freedom's GDPR complaints (e.g., Flo). Ecosystem counterpart rather than competitor; its enforcement bandwidth and posture directly shape the impact of Bits of Freedom's advocacy work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/706402
• Xx.com/bitsoffreedom
• Facebookfacebook.com/BitsofFreedom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Bits of Freedom