Epicenter.Works
Epicenter.works is an Austrian nonprofit association (Verein) founded in 2010 that conducts civil society advocacy on digital rights, privacy, surveillance reform, and net neutrality across the EU, serving citizens and policymakers through campaigns, legal challenges, and transparency tools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersVienna, Austria
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Epicenter.Works firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Epicenter.Works
- Legal name
- Epicenter.works
- Website
- https://epicenter.works
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Epicenter.works is an Austrian nonprofit association (Verein) founded in 2010 that conducts civil society advocacy on digital rights, privacy, surveillance reform, and net neutrality across the EU, serving citizens and policymakers through campaigns, legal challenges, and transparency tools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Epicenter.Works is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vienna
- HQ country
- Austria
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Epicenter.Works business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Membership and Support: Epicenter.Works operates as a non-profit organization funded through supporting memberships (Fördermitgliedschaft) and donations.
- Grants and Project Funding: The organization receives funding through grants such as netidee (Internet Foundation Austria) for specific projects like HEAT 2.0.
- Donations: Individual donations through their dedicated donation portal (spenden.epicenter.works).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Epicenter.Works product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Epicenter.Works is a Vienna-based digital rights NGO that conducts policy advocacy, legal challenges, public campaigns, and educational work on digital rights including privacy, surveillance, net neutrality, and eIDAS digital identity. It develops transparency tools (Whoidentifies.me) and educational resources (HEAT Handbook, epicenter.academy) to support civil society engagement with EU digital policy. The organization is funded through supporting memberships, donations, and grants.
Product overview
Epicenter.works is a Vienna-based digital rights NGO focused on privacy advocacy, surveillance reform, net neutrality, and digital policy. It does not operate a commercial software product or SaaS platform. The organization conducts advocacy campaigns, publishes policy analysis, develops educational resources (epicenter.academy), and creates transparency tools such as WhoIdentifies.me for monitoring EU digital identity systems. The organization does not offer products or services in the traditional commercial sense.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Whoidentifies.me A transparency tool that tracks who accesses which data within the emerging EU eIDAS digital identity ecosystem, providing visibility for European digital identity implementation.
- HEAT Handbook (Handbuch Überwachung) A handbook providing a framework for evaluating proportionality of security and surveillance legislation in Austria and beyond, used by policy researchers, journalists, and civil society.
- epicenter.academy Educational platform providing digital self-defence and digital rights learning resources for citizens.
- Fördermitgliedschaft (Supporting Membership) Supporting membership program that funds the organization's independent advocacy work on digital rights.
Quantifiable outcome
- Successfully influenced EU net neutrality legislation resulting in BEREC guidelines that safeguard net neutrality (2016)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Epicenter.Works
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Epicenter.Works technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Epicenter.Works partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF)coreGerman partner organization collaborating on legal challenges against PNR (Passenger Name Record) directive. GFF files both civil suits against airlines and administrative complaints in Germany, while Epicenter.Works handles Austrian legal strategy. This partnership aims to overturn the EU PNR Directive through coordinated legal action.
- European Digital Rights (EDRi)coreEuropean coalition of digital rights organizations. Epicenter.Works participates as a member and coordinates on policy positions, including joint submissions on EU Digital Identity Wallet and PNR directives.
- SaveTheInternet.eu CoalitionflagshipEuropean alliance for net neutrality that Epicenter.Works co-founded with NGOs from Brussels, Berlin, Paris, and Amsterdam. The campaign mobilized over 500,000 citizens and successfully influenced EU net neutrality legislation.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Epicenter.Works competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- European Digital Rights (EDRi): Brussels-based coalition of European digital rights NGOs. Epicenter.works is a member; EDRi coordinates joint submissions on EU digital policy files including eIDAS and AI Act.
- Bits of Freedom: Dutch digital rights NGO focused on privacy, freedom of communication, and government surveillance. Co-founder of the SaveTheInternet.eu coalition with comparable EU policy work.
- noyb – None of Your Business: Vienna-based privacy and digital rights organization led by Max Schrems. Closest geographic and substantive peer to epicenter.works, also active on EU enforcement actions and data protection litigation.
- Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF): German civil liberties organization and direct legal partner of epicenter.works on PNR cases. Comparable in strategic litigation model and EU fundamental rights advocacy.
- Privacy International: UK-based charity focused on state and corporate surveillance. Comparable in litigation and policy advocacy against mass surveillance, including data retention challenges.
- Access Now: International digital rights organization with policy, litigation, and helpline programs. Direct peer in EU digital policy advocacy and civil society coalition work.
- Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF): Leading US-based digital rights organization. Peer in transparency tooling, surveillance reform advocacy, and civil liberties litigation — often cited in the same media as epicenter.works.
- La Quadrature du Net: French digital rights organization advocating on net neutrality, copyright, and surveillance. Co-founder of the SaveTheInternet.eu coalition alongside epicenter.works.
Regional players
- Open Rights Group: UK-based digital rights organization. Comparable advocacy on surveillance, data protection, and online civil liberties, though operating primarily in UK/EU post-Brexit context.
Broad incumbents
- ARTICLE 19: International freedom of expression organization with a broader mandate than epicenter.works. Operates across digital and non-digital rights, often co-signing joint submissions with EDRi coalition members.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Epicenter.Works social profiles
Digital presenceEpicenter.Works financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Epicenter.Works leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Epicenter.Works funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Epicenter.Works M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Epicenter.Works
What does Epicenter.Works do?
Epicenter.Works is a Vienna-based digital rights NGO that conducts policy advocacy, legal challenges, public campaigns, and educational work on digital rights including privacy, surveillance, net neutrality, and eIDAS digital identity. It develops transparency tools (Whoidentifies.me) and educational resources (HEAT Handbook, epicenter.academy) to support civil society engagement with EU digital policy. The organization is funded through supporting memberships, donations, and grants.
Is Epicenter.Works a public or private company?
Epicenter.Works is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Epicenter.Works founded?
Epicenter.Works was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Epicenter.Works based?
Epicenter.Works is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, in the Europe region.
How does Epicenter.Works make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership and Support is the primary driver. The others are grants and Project Funding and donations.
Who are Epicenter.Works's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are European Digital Rights (EDRi), Bits of Freedom, noyb – None of Your Business, Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte (GFF), Privacy International, Access Now, Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and La Quadrature du Net. Open Rights Group is listed as a regional player. ARTICLE 19 is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Epicenter.Works have an API?
No public API is recorded for Epicenter.Works.