Rickard Falkvinge | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Falkvinge in 2012 | |
| Founding Leader of the Pirate Party | |
| In office 1 January 2006 – 1 January 2011 | |
| Monarch | Carl XVI Gustaf |
| Prime Minister | Fredrik Reinfeldt |
| Succeeded by | Anna Troberg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Dick Greger Augustsson 21 January 1972 |
| Party | Pirate Party |
| Occupation |
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| Website | falkvinge.net |
| Part of a series on |
| Pirate Parties |
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Rickard Falkvinge (born Dick Greger Augustsson, 21 January 1972) is a Swedish politician and the founder of the Pirate Party, which he led until 2011.[1]
In 2005, he began developing a political party focused on illegal file sharing, copyright, and patent reform, which went on to elect members to the European Parliament in 2009 and helped inspire a global network of Pirate‑style parties, after which he became an advocate for digital rights and privacy.[2][3]
Early life and career
Falkvinge grew up in Ruddalen, Gothenburg, and studied natural sciences at Göteborgs Högre Samskola. During high school, he was active in political youth organisations, including the Moderat Skolungdom (Moderate School Youth), a part of the Moderata Ungdomsförbundet (Moderate Youth League), the youth organization of Sweden's Moderate Party.[4][5]
He established his first company, Infoteknik, in 1988 at the age of 16.[4] From 1994 to 1998, he worked as a software developer in Gothenburg, Kalmar, and Strömsund.[6]
In 2004, he changed his name from Dick Augustsson to Rickard "Rick" Falkvinge.[7] Falkvinge previously lived in Sollentuna, a suburb north of Stockholm,[8] and later relocated to Berlin.[9]
The Pirate Party
In late 2005, Falkvinge began developing the idea of a political party focused on issues related to illegal file sharing, copyright infringement, and patent infringement. At the time, the main organization active in the copyright debate in Sweden was the nonpartisan Piratbyrån. On 16 December 2005, Falkvinge registered the domain name piratpartiet.se (The Pirate Party). The party’s website was launched on 1 January 2006 through a message on a Direct Connect hub, marking the start of a campaign to register a new political party in Sweden.[10][11][12]
Falkvinge chaired the Pirate Party for 18 months, while the party relied on donations and supporter fundraising. He continued as leader through the 2009 European Parliament election, when the party won its first seats.[13][14]
In the 2009 European Parliament election, The Pirate Party received 7.13% of the vote, making it the most popular party among voters under 30, with 25% support in that age group.[15][16]
After the election, polls placed support at only 3.9%, below the 4.0% threshold for entry, and the party did not win representation in the 2010 parliamentary elections.[17]
Controversies
During the launch of the party's 2010 election manifesto, Falkvinge stated that freedom of speech and freedom of the press should take precedence over the ban on possession of drawings that could be considered child sexual abuse materials (CSAM). The party proposed repealing the 1999 Child Pornography Act, which prohibits possession of audio and visual materials depicting child sexual abuse.[18]
His comments were made in connection with a court case involving a manga researcher and translator charged with possessing drawings depicting minors in sexual contexts. The Swedish Union of Journalists expressed support for Falkvinge's position.[19] The proposal generated internal disagreement within the Pirate Party, leading Falkvinge to initially retract his remarks before restating them in 2012.[20][21]
Falkvinge has been a long-time supporter of The Pirate Bay, a Sweden-based online search index founded in 2003, known for facilitating peer-to-peer file sharing, including copyrighted material such as movies and video games.[22][23][24]
On 31 May 2006, Swedish police raided the site's hosting facilities as part of an investigation into copyright violations, eventually leading to the Pirate Bay trial. In response, protests were organized across Europe on 3 June, during which Falkvinge delivered a speech titled "Nothing New Under the Sun".[25][26][27] Falkvinge stated he was "invited daily to television and radio to discuss the political issues of file sharing."[28][29]
In the 2006 Swedish general election, the Pirate Party received 0.63% of the national vote.[30]
Stepping down as party leader
On 1 January 2011, five years after founding the Pirate Party, Falkvinge announced his resignation as party leader. He took on the role of a political advocate.[31] Deputy leader Anna Troberg succeeded him immediately.[32] The announcement was made via a live broadcast.[33]
In February 2016, Falkvinge became Head of Privacy for Private Internet Access, a US–based virtual private network (VPN) service.[34]
Media
In 2011, Foreign Policy magazine included him among its Top 100 Global Thinkers.[35] In 2012, Time Magazine named him one of the world's most influential people,[36] and in 2013, The Guardian listed him among the Top 20 Internet Freedom Fighters Worldwide.[37]
Falkvinge has received recognition from international media and technology organizations for his political activism and advocacy work. In 2009, Swedish magazine Fokus listed him among the 100 most influential people in Sweden, and in 2010 he received the Guldmusen award as IT Person of the Year.[38][39]
In 2011, Foreign Policy magazine included him among its Top 100 Global Thinkers.[39] The following year, Time magazine named him one of its TIME 100 nominees, recognizing his role in turning the Pirate Party into an international movement with a presence in more than 25 countries.[40] In 2013, The Guardian listed him among the Top 20 Internet Freedom Fighters Worldwide.[41]
Since stepping down as party leader, Falkvinge has continued speaking at international conferences, including TEDx events in 2012 and 2013, and has appeared in podcasts and interviews discussing cryptocurrency, digital rights, and swarm organizing.[42][43] As of 2024, he remains active in advocating for privacy and decentralized systems through his blog and public appearances.[44]
Published works
- Falkvinge, Rick (2013). Swarmwise: the tactical manual to changing the world. North Charleston, South Carolina, USA: CreateSpace Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1481954099.[45][46]
References
- ^ "Rickard (Rick) Falkvinge". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 January 2011. (subscription required)
- ^ Falkvinge, Rick. "Rick Falkvinge | Speaker | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ Cadwalladr, Carole (22 January 2012). "Rick Falkvinge: the Swedish radical leading the fight over web freedoms". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ a b Lönegård, Claes (5 June 2009). "Hjärnan bakom piraterna". Fokus (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ Rydell, Anders; Sundberg, Sam (February 2009). Piraterna: De svenska fildelarna som plundrade Hollywood (in Swedish). Ordfront. ISBN 978-91-7037-320-6. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009.
- ^ mironomadic (5 January 2014). "Rick Falkvinge – Pirate Party: Why Civil Liberties & Financial Freedom Need To Be Defended | Brian Rose". London Real. Retrieved 3 March 2025.
- ^ Lagerblad, Anna (27 April 2010). "Rekordmånga vill byta namn, Trender i tiden". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 27 April 2010.
- ^ Johansson, Anders (23 April 2010). "Hallå eller? med Rick Falkvinge". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ Falkvinge, Rick. "Rick Falkvinge". Falkvinge on Liberty. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ "Pirate Party History" (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 11 October 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
- ^ Mattias, Henningsson (2 January 2006). "Piratparti siktar på riksdagen". Dagens Industri (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 May 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Carron, Mia; Olsson, Caroline (2 January 2006). "Pirater bildar parti". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 June 2010.
- ^ Sjölund, Jill. "Lever på att tigga". Aftonbladet (in Swedish).
- ^ Kerpner, Joachim (26 June 2009). "Nu anställer han sig själv". Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "Ett svenskare Europaval". Statistiska Centralbyrån (in Swedish). 22 June 2010. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ Rydell, Anders; Sundberg, Sam (2009). Piraterna – historien on The Pirate Bay, Piratpartiet och Piratbyrån (Pocket) (in Swedish). Ordfront Pocket. p. 246.
- ^ "Röster - Val 2010". historik.val.se. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
- ^ Johansson, Birgitta (5 August 2010). "Piratpartiet vill tillåta innehav av barnporr". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 5 August 2010.
- ^ Lindblom Hulthén, Agnetha (6 August 2010). "Barnporrlagen är censur". Journalisten (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 11 December 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ Falkvinge, Rickard. "Three Reasons Possession Of Child Porn Must Be Re-Legalized In The Coming Decade". Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ Johansson, Birgitta (6 August 2010). "Falkvinge: "Konstaterat att vi hade fel"". Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 May 2011.
- ^ "The Pirate Bay | History & Facts | Britannica". Encyclopædia Britannica. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ Falkvinge, Rick (23 March 2013). "The Pirate Bay Is A Trailblazer In Technical Resilience". Falkvinge on Liberty. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ zacqary.adam.xeper (7 December 2012). "The Pirate Bay Is The World's Most Efficient Public Library". Falkvinge on Liberty. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ Rydell, Anders; Sundberg, Sam (2009). Piraterna – historien on The Pirate Bay, Piratpartiet och Piratbyrån (Pocket) (in Swedish). Ordfront Pocket. p. 125.
- ^ Bartels, Henning (2009). Die Piratenpartei (in German). Contumax-Verlag. pp. 32–36. ISBN 978-3-86199-001-7.
- ^ Falkvinge, Rick. "Det finns inget nytt under solen" (in Swedish). Pirate Party forums. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ Falkvinge, Rick (6 July 2012). "Aftermath of The Pirate Bay Trial: Peter Sunde's Plea – In His Own Words". Falkvinge on Liberty. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
- ^ Anderson, Nate (26 February 2009). "Political pirates: A history of Sweden's Piratpartiet". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2 December 2025.
- ^ Rydell, Anders; Sundberg, Sam (2009). Piraterna – historien on The Pirate Bay, Piratpartiet och Piratbyrån (Pocket) (in Swedish). Ordfront Pocket. pp. 143–153.
- ^ Farivar, Cyrus (1 March 2011). "New Pirate Party Leader". DW. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ^ Falkvinge, Rick (January 2011). "After five years, I'm stepping down as party leader". Falkvinge on Infopolicy. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
- ^ "Pirate Party 5-year anniversary broadcast" (in Swedish). Bambuser. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "Private Internet Access and Digital Rights Activism Post". Private Internet Access. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
- ^ "Top 100 Global Thinkers". Foreign Policy. 28 November 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
- ^ "Rick Falkvinge: 2012 "TIME 100" Nominees". Time. 29 March 2012. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ "The Guardian's Open 20". The Guardian. 20 April 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ Greer, Rick (10 September 2015). "Freedom Warrior | The Optimist Daily". The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News |. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ a b Hofslagare, Erik (25 February 2010). "Här är årets pristagare". Computer Sweden (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ^ "Rick Falkvinge -The 2012 TIME 100 Poll- Printout - TIME". content.time.com. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^ TEDx Talks (21 March 2012). The Pirate Party - the politics of protest: Rick Falkvinge at TEDxObserver. Retrieved 12 February 2026 – via YouTube.
- ^ Gordon Einstein (10 December 2024). Rick Falkvinge - Revolutionizing Politics and Tech: From Pirate Parties to Bitcoin. Retrieved 12 February 2026 – via YouTube.
- ^ TEDx Talks (15 November 2013). Changing the world through swarm intelligence: Rick Falkvinge at TEDxOslo 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2026 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Appearances Calendar 2021-2025". Falkvinge on Liberty. 21 August 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2026.
- ^
Falkvinge, Rick (2013). Swarmwise: the tactical manual to changing the world (PDF). North Charleston, South Carolina, USA: CreateSpace Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-146353315-1. Retrieved 5 March 2024. Version 1.1. Published under a Creative Commons CC‑BY‑NC‑3.0 license.
- ^
Montague, Brendan (26 February 2024). "Pirates and rebels". The Ecologist. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 5 March 2024. A review of Swarmwise.
External links
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