1. Patrick Breyer was born on 29 April 1977 and is a German digital rights activist, jurist, Pirate Party Germany politician, and from 2019 to 2024, Member of the European Parliament.
20 Facts About Patrick Breyer
1. 2.
Patrick Breyer studied law and was awarded a Doctorate of Law in 2004 at the Goethe University Frankfurt with his thesis on The systematic recording and retention of telecommunications traffic data for government purposes in Germany.
3.
Patrick Breyer is involved in the Working Group on Data Retention for Information privacy and Civil and political rights and was involved in the organization of the successful class action lawsuit against data retention together with the lawyer and later judge at the Constitutional Court of the State of Berlin Meinhard Starostik.
4.
Patrick Breyer filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights against the compulsory identification of prepaid SIM cards.
5.
In 2012 Patrick Breyer filed a lawsuit against the European Commission for the release of documents on data retention and won in two instances.
6.
Patrick Breyer filed an action for injunction against the Federal Republic of Germany at the Berlin-Tiergarten District Court in 2008.
7.
In May 2018, Patrick Breyer filed a constitutional complaint against the new authority of the Federal Police to carry out automatic number plate readings at border crossings.
8.
Patrick Breyer held the chair until the regular election of the parliamentary party executive committee on 21 May 2013.
9.
Between November 2012 and April 2017, Patrick Breyer transferred dietary allowances in the total amount of 75,159.18 euros to a donation account of the State of Schleswig-Holstein under the purpose "Reduction of new debt".
10.
In January 2013 Patrick Breyer criticized the vending machine industry, claiming that the sector "especially [that part of it] around Mr Paul Gauselmann, [had] been lubricating politicians of all established parties with large donations for years".
11.
Gauselmann had him warned against this, but Patrick Breyer did not issue a cease-and-desist declaration.
12.
Patrick Breyer was "by far the most hard-working parliamentarian with a total of 356 initiatives" in the legislative period of the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament running since 2012, reported Die Welt at the end of 2015 with reference to the information system of the state parliament.
13.
On 17 February 2016 Patrick Breyer awarded the Green-Red-Blue coalition an "ostrich prize for extraordinary achievements in delaying important reforms in our country".
14.
Patrick Breyer accused the coalition of using postponement and procrastination to prevent "repeated decisions by the state parliament on uncomfortable reform initiatives" by the Pirate faction, including the introduction of a waiting period for changing ministers to work in industry.
15.
On 12 April 2016 Patrick Breyer was re-elected chairman of the Pirate parliamentary group.
16.
In December 2016 and February 2017, in the state parliament, Patrick Breyer criticized the fact that the heads of the state audit office and the state constitutional court had been appointed by the other parties without a public invitation to tender according to party proportional representation.
17.
On 27 March 2017 Patrick Breyer was awarded the Horst Lutje Foundation's "Backbone Prize", endowed with 1,000 Euros, for his efforts.
18.
In May 2017, Patrick Breyer uncovered accusations by criminal investigators that exculpatory statements in criminal proceedings against "rockers" had been suppressed and bullying had been used in response to criticism.
19.
In March 2019 Patrick Breyer filed a lawsuit against the EU Commission on the grounds that it was in possession of secret project documents relating to new kinds of video lie detectors intended for entry control, including an ethical and legal evaluation of the technology, on the grounds of protecting the commercial interests of the companies involved.
20.
Patrick Breyer was the only member of the German Pirate Party to be elected to the European Parliament, where he now sits, together with three members of the Czech Pirate Party who were elected at the same time, as one of a total of four members composing the Pirate Party in the parliament.