Open Rights Group

The Open Rights Group (ORG) is a UK-based digital rights organization founded in 2005. It campaigns to protect human rights in the digital world, specifically focusing on privacy, free speech, and justice online. ORG fights against intrusive state and corporate surveillance, restrictive copyright laws, online censorship, and unjust treatment in digital environments. It aims to nurture a grassroots movement of activists, legal experts, and technical professionals working for a fair digital environment that supports equality and freedom. ORG raises public awareness, lobbies policymakers, challenges inappropriate laws, and initiates court actions to defend digital rights.

ORG has a broad range of interests including copyright, free and open-source software, government transparency, net neutrality, identity management, and protection from mass surveillance. It actively campaigns against legislation that infringes on online anonymity and free speech, such as the UK’s Online Safety Bill and the Digital Economy Act. The organization collaborates with various partners, especially those representing marginalized communities disproportionately impacted by digital harms.

ORG operates with a paid professional staff alongside a large base of grassroots supporters, local groups across UK towns and cities, an advisory council of experts, and a legal panel. It has achieved legal victories in digital rights cases and actively monitors digital rights issues in the UK and Europe. ORG’s mission is supported by corporate sponsors and is a member of European Digital Rights (EDRi), aligning it with similar organizations across Europe.

Founded: 2005
Country: United Kingdom
Focus: Digital rights including privacy, free speech, surveillance, copyright, net neutrality
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Number of supporters: Over 43,000 (as of 2022)
Key campaigns: Opposition to mass surveillance, digital economy laws, online censorship, and restrictive copyright

No related lobbyists found.

Digital Rights and Freedoms
Privacy and Surveillance
Free Speech and Censorship
Copyright and Intellectual Property
Access to Knowledge and Open Source Software
Government Transparency and Democracy
Internet and Network Neutrality
Identity Management and Data Protection
Anti-mass Surveillance Campaigns

Open Rights Group networks extensively with related organizations and coalitions such as:

European Digital Rights (EDRi)
Grassroots digital rights groups across the UK
Partners in migrant rights, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights campaigns
Corporate supporters like Mythic Beasts and AAISP (technical infrastructure/support)
Legal experts and barristers working on digital rights cases
Local community groups in UK towns and cities

Specific detailed financial data for money spent on lobbying since registration with the EU Transparency Register is not openly available from the sources reviewed. Financial disclosure in the EU transparency register typically includes total annual expenditure on lobbying activities and is broken down by year, but such precise figures for Open Rights Group since its EU registration need to be retrieved from the official EU Transparency Register directly.

Registered in the EU Transparency Register as a digital rights lobbying organization
Member organization of European Digital Rights (EDRi)
Engages with EU institutions on law and policy formulation related to digital rights
Submits evidence to parliamentary inquiries and EU policy consultations when relevant

Detailed records of meetings held by Open Rights Group with EU officials are maintained in the EU Transparency Register database. Since registration, ORG has participated in meetings with Commissioners, Commission staff, and MEPs relating to digital rights policies, surveillance laws, data protection reforms, and online safety directives. Precise lists of meetings and dates can be extracted from official EU Transparency Register disclosures for the period up to June 2025.