On the occasion of its New Year's reception in Cologne, eco – Association of the Internet introduced the first three members of its recently established Presidium. The role of this committee is to promote interdisciplinary exchange on current digitalization questions. In the coming Presidium meetings, the Association plans to identify the first joint projects requiring the cooperation of all societal stakeholders in the field of digitalization.

The Blue Angel, which has been awarded to particularly environmentally-friendly products and services since 1978, also has colocation data centers in its sights. The German Federal Environment Agency is currently working with interested experts to develop an appropriate concept. The eco Association welcomes the opportunity for German data center operators to pit energy efficiency as a competitive advantage.

Today's decision by the British Parliament has once again delayed Britain's withdrawal agreement with the EU. The eco Association also sees an opportunity here – namely, that legislators on both sides of the English Channel have gained more time to come up with relevant deals in the areas of data flow, business processes, and the regulation of contracts. Regulation of these areas is of central importance to the digital industry’s ability to continue to work effectively.

Encryption is an effective means to prevent this kind of attack and data theft. Therefore, the German federal government should more strongly support and drive forward the development and dissemination of user-friendly encryption technologies.