Recent events have multiplied concerns about potential fragmentation of the internet into a multitude of non-interoperable and disconnected 'splinternets'. Composed of thousands of compatible autonomous systems, the internet is by definition technically divided. Yet, the internet was also designed to be an open and global technical infrastructure. The unity and openness of the internet appear to be under great pressure from political, commercial and technological developments. This report explores the implications of the EU's recent policies in this field as well as the opportunities and challenges for EU Member States and institutions in addressing internet fragmentation. It underlines how recent EU legislative proposals – on the digital services act, digital markets act, artificial intelligence act, and NIS 2 Directive – could help to address patterns of fragmentation, but also have limitations and potentially unintended consequences.

EPRS Science and Technology Podcast - 'Splinternets': Addressing the renewed debate on internet fragmentation

&lt;p>The internet is a critical technology infrastructure for almost two thirds of the global population. We use the internet for personal, civic, commercial and professional activities. Failure of the internet would majorly impact how our societies, lives and work is organised. While a total global collapse of the internet is unlikely, major disruptions may arise. Three aspects are key in understanding of how this could materialise: the underlying technological infrastructures, which are evolving with time; the fact that tech companies are increasingly shaping the Internet architecture to seek new commercial strategies; and the increasing control of the digital sphere for political reasons.&lt;/p>

EPRS policy podcast - Future shocks 2023: Collapse of the Internet

Since its early development in the 1960s, Internet infrastructure has become almost as important as electricity and transport infrastructures in contemporary societies. More and more key services such as banking, food retail, and health care, rely on Internet connections. Despite its original resilient decentralised design, the increasing importance of a few central players and centralising developments have made the Internet more vulnerable to failure. What repercussions would that entail? Listen to our podcast to know more!

EPRS STOA podcast - What if the Internet failed?

Internet on mullistanut tapamme varata lomamatkoja. Siksi EU on päivittänyt sääntöjä, jotka suojelevat valmismatkan ostajia. Uudet matkapakettisäännöt hyödyttävät matkailijoita monin tavoin.

Näin EU toimii valmismatkan ostajien hyväksi

Oletko väsynyt sensaatiohakuiseen ja huonoon uutisointiin? Et ole ainoa. EU haluaa kannustaa sinuakin tiedostavaan internetin käyttöön.

Näin EU toimii tiedostavien internetin käyttäjien hyväksi.

Monet eurooppalaiset käyttävät nykyään joukkorahoitusta. Kenties se on sinullekin tuttua. Joukkorahoitus on uudenlainen verkkopohjainen varainhankintaväline, jonka avulla voidaan hakea rahoitusta erilaisille hankkeille.

Näin EU toimii joukkorahoituksen käyttäjien hyväksi

Näinä aikoina lähes työhön kuin työhön vaaditaan jonkin tasoisia digitaitoja. Jopa 44 prosentilla EU:n aikuisväestöstä on heikot digitaidot, ja noin yksi viidestä ei ole koskaan käyttänyt internetiä. EU pyrkii parantamaan kansalaisten digitaitoja eri tavoin.

Näin EU toimii digitaitojensa kehittämisestä kiinnostuneiden hyväksi

Oletko huolissasi nettiturvallisuudesta? Joissakin Euroopan maissa kyberrikollisuus kattaa puolet kaikista rikoksista. EU kuitenkin toimii tämäntyyppisten rikosten torjumiseksi.

Näin EU toimii kyberrikollisuuden uhrien hyväksi

A ban on "roaming" surcharges for using mobile phones abroad in the EU, to take effect from June 2017, and clear rules on the right to internet access, will become law when Parliament takes its final vote on the new telecoms package.

Roaming fees for calling, sending text messages and using mobile internet abroad in the EU will be banned from 15 June 2017.

Roaming - 8th parliamentary term

Internet use and the number of connected devices continue to increase, but so do cyber threats. Parliament has approved new legislation to improve your security.

Activities by cybercriminals are increasing in complexity and sophistication. On Tuesday 12 March 2019, MEPs voted in favour of the cybersecurity act which aims to improve the European response to the increasing number of cyber threats by strengthening the role of the European Agency for Network and Information Security (Enisa) and establishing a common cybersecurity certification framework.

Under the plans Enisa will get more staff and funding, while cybersecurity cooperation between EU countries will be intensified. There will be standardised certification for IT equipment across Europe. Initially certification is voluntary.

See more on this topic by visiting our <a href="https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/cybersecurity-8th-parliamentary-term_11301_pk">package</a> for the 8th parliamentary term. ​​​​​​​

Cybersecurity (2020)

The proposed "Directive on copyright in the Digital Single Market" seeks to ensure that creatives and news publishers and journalists benefit from the online world and the internet as they do from the offline world.

n March 2019 MEPs adopted by 348 votes in favour, 274 against and 36 abstentions a new directive on Copyright. This marks the end of the legislative process for the European Parliament that began in 2016. The directive aims to ensure that the longstanding rights and obligations of copyright law also apply to the internet. YouTube, Facebook and Google News are some of the internet household names that will be most directly affected by this legislation. The directive also strives to ensure that the internet remains a space for freedom of expression.

Copyright directive

Creatives and news publishers will be empowered to negotiate with internet giants thanks to new copyright rules which also contain safeguards on freedom of expression.

In March 2019 MEPs adopted by 348 votes in favour, 274 against and 36 abstentions a new directive on Copyright. This marks the end of the legislative process for the European Parliament that began in 2016. The directive aims to ensure that the longstanding rights and obligations of copyright law also apply to the internet. YouTube, Facebook and Google News are some of the internet household names that will be most directly affected by this legislation. The directive also strives to ensure that the internet remains a space for freedom of expression.

#EUelections2019 - Copyright

Speech by Roberta METSOLA, EP President at EPP Hearing on Internet Safety for Children

EP Plenary session - Oral question - The new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+)

Istunnon avaaminen

Rahoituspalveluja koskevat etäsopimukset (keskustelu)

Yhdyskuntajätevesien käsittely (keskustelu)

Puutumatuse äravõtmise taotlus

Koskemattomuutta koskevan parlamentin päätöksen johdosta toteutetut toimet

Uusi eurooppalainen Parempi internet lapsille -strategia (BIK+) (keskustelu)

Istunnon jatkaminen

Äänestykset

Edellisen istunnon pöytäkirjan hyväksyminen

Huono hygienia, turvattomuus ja pysäköintipaikkojen puute kuorma-autonkuljettajien levähdysalueilla (keskustelu)

Äänestysselitykset

Tämän istunnon pöytäkirjan hyväksyminen ja hyväksyttyjen tekstien edelleen välittäminen

Seuraavien istuntojen aikataulu

Istunnon päättäminen

Istuntokauden keskeyttäminen

Plenary session

Internet access: a new human right

Paikallisyhteisöjen internetyhteyksien parantaminen (keskustelu)

Promotion of internet connectivity in local communities (debate)

Internetyhteydet kasvun, kilpailukyvyn ja yhteenkuuluvuuden lisäämiseksi: eurooppalainen gigabittiyhteiskunta ja 5G - Euroopan teollisuuden digitalisointi (keskustelu)

Internet connectivity for growth, competitiveness and cohesion: European gigabit society and 5G - Digitising European industry (debate)

IANAn toimintojen ohjauksen äskettäinen siirto maailmanlaajuiselle internet-yhteisölle lokakuussa 2016 ja tuleva Meksikossa (6.-8. joulukuuta 2016) järjestettävä internetin hallintofoorumi (keskustelu)

Recent transition of the IANA stewardship to the global internet community in October 2016 and the upcoming Internet Governance Forum in Mexico (6-8 December 2016) (debate)

EYE 2016 – EYEtv Debates « The internet of inequality: next generation digital revolution » and « Dark shadows around the corner: climate change and future food »

UNKN

Press seminar for web journalists

Video Hearing with the Senate of the Italian Republic - Statement by David SASSOLI, EP President on Internet as a human right

' Ideas for a new world '  Internet access: a new human right - Debate with EC President and former EC President- Introduction by David SASSOLI, EP President

Plenary session - Implementation and functioning of the .eu top level domain name

JURI committee meeting. Exchange of views with Romanian Presidency. Presentation of study on Essential Patents and Internet of Things, commissioned by the European Parliament's Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of JURI committee

Press conference on the launch of the new website ' What Europe does for for me '

This infoclip gives an overview of tech giants such as Amazon, Meta, Google,TikTok, LinkedIn and X. In 2025 Meta announced the end of its third party fact-checking program. In 2024 the Commission opened proceedings against TikTok for not having assessed risks linked to election integrity during the recent Romanian presidential elections. The Commission also proceeded against X and preliminary findings confirmed its breach of the DSA. This infoclip shows a woman buying on Amazon, people scrolling on Social media, and offices building of TikTok (Source : Tiktok).

Infoclip: Digital Services Act (DSA), E-Commerce and Social Media

MEPs vote on several texts: opening of negotiations on the Union Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders - Guillaume, Human rights situation in Afghanistan, in particular the persecution of former government officials - Motion for resolution, the case of Zarema Musaeva in Chechnya - Motion for resolution, Egypt, in particular the sentencing of Hisham Kassem - Motion for resolution, European green bonds - Tang, Scheme of generalised tariff preferences - Hautala, Financial services contracts concluded at a distance - Kokalari, Urban wastewater treatment. Recast - Torvalds, Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan’s attack - Motion for resolution, Taking stock of Moldova’s path to the EU - Motion for resolution, The new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+) - Motion for resolution.

Voting session: Union Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders, the new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+), taking stock of Moldova’s path to the EU

The infoclips illustrates the devices which fall under the requirements of the Cyber Resilience Act, like smart vacuum cleaners, smart washing machine, smart watches, security cameras, etc. The latest proposal in the EU Cyber Resilience Act Introduces mandatory cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements and it covers a broad range of devices - it would include all products that are connected either directly or indirectly to another device or network, including hardware, software and ancillary services and would impose obligations on manufacturers, importers, and distributors of these products to provide duty of care across their whole life cycle. The proposal aims to ensure better protection for consumers through increasing the responsibility of manufacturers by obliging them to provide security support and software updates to address identified vulnerabilities, and providing them with information about cybersecurity of products they buy and use.

Infoclip: EU Cyber Resilience Act, better protection for smart devices

The internet provides many opportunities for kids to learn and explore, to be creative or to interact with their friends and family, but it also entails many risks such as cyberbullying, age-inappropriate content, disinformation and sexual abuse. In May 2022, the European Commission published a new European strategy for a better internet for kids (BIK+). The new strategy contributes to the vision for the EU's digital transformation by 2030 and reflects the principle, 'Children and young people should be protected and empowered online'. Restrictions: ©The material may not be edited and must be shown entirely.

EPRS - Creating a better internet for kids

Prázdninové plány zmařené přísnými lockdownovými pravidly, nedostatek kontaktu s jinými lidmi a dva teenageři doma – rodina Diaconescu si prožila své. Co je během pandemie drželo nad vodou? Celý příběh rodiny Diaconescu si můžete poslechnout v rozhovoru, který v červenci 2021 poskytli ve videu z cyklu „Spojeni v odloučení“.

Spojeni v odloučení | Příběh rodiny Diaconescu: „Naše děti se s kamarády mohly spojit jen přes internet“

Die Urlaubspläne zunichtegemacht, die sozialen Beziehungen auf Eis gelegt und zwei Teenager zuhause – die Coronapandemie und die damit verbundene Ausgangssperre stellte Familie Diaconescu auf eine harte Probe. Wie haben sie diese Herausforderung gemeistert? Familie Diaconescu erzählt ihre Geschichte in dem Video-Interview an, das sie im Juli 2021 für „Gemeinsam getrennt“ gab.

Gemeinsam getrennt | Familie Diaconescus Geschichte: „Unsere Kinder konnten nur übers Internet mit ihren Freunden in Verbindung bleiben“

Vuoden 2021 viimeisessä täysistunnossa parlamentti myöntää tämänvuotisen mielipiteenvapauden Saharov-palkinnon Aleksei Navalnyille. Europarlamentaarikot keskustelevat suurten verkkoalustojen entistä tiukemmasta sääntelystä ja äänestävät vuoden 2022 tekemisestä Euroopan nuorisovuodeksi. Tämä kaikki ja lisää on tulossa Strasbourgista.

Tulossa seuraavaksi Strasbourgista: Saharov-palkinto, internetjätit ja nuoriso

As of May 2018, with the entry into application of the General Data Protection Regulation, there is one set of data protection rules for all companies operating in the EU, wherever they are based. This Infoclip illustrates people consulting websites on computer and smartphones, GDPR compliances on various websites, internet connections, rooters and servers.

Infoclip: General Data Protection Regulation two years after its application

During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Brussels (08-11 February 2021), MEPs debate the Democratic Scrutiny of Social Media and the Protection of Fundamental Rights. Opening statements by Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs and by Vĕra JOUROVÁ, Vice-President of the European Commission.

Democratic Scrutiny of Social Media and the Protection of Fundamental Rights: Opening statements by Ana Paula ZACARIAS, Portuguese Secretary of State for European Affairs and by Vĕra JOUROVÁ, Vice-President of the European Commission

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