Digital rights management or technological protection measures are technical, often cryptographic, ways of restricting a user's ability to interact in a non-permitted way with information. The most typical example is copy-protection on CDs or files, digital stamps or prohibition against modifying a specific file. It reached Amelia's attention that a method for controlling the re-transmission of streamed content was on the agenda of the HTML5 working group at the World Wide Web Consortium. This introduces a number of political concerns, some of which were raised by Amelia and her staff at a working group meeting of the European Commission in June 2013. But it also raises some anti-trust issues which should be taken into closer consideration by the European Commission.

In a first question, Amelia addresses the problem of standardising particular use-cases for specific commercial actors and business models in a browser framework. As with streaming of music and connection of specific streaming services to specific internet service providers (Spotify and Telia in Sweden, and Deezer and Belgacom in Belgium) this might lead to a stagnation in the development of new online streaming and content distribution services. That would, hypothetically, be undesirable.

The second question relates to how the European Commission is safe-guarding the rights awarded to users and consumers of broadcasting services on the European market. Specifically it addresses the concern that a technical standard will be developed which stops the exercise of the freedom to use a service purchased for one member state in a different member state, which could end up severely limiting the cross-border trade and economic integration of the European digital single market.

The Commission has thus far not answered any of the questions.