Measures to protect sensitive data are no longer sufficient when it comes to the security of connected vehicles. A “digital airbag” is needed, says member of the Advisory Board of the eco Mobility Competence Group, Dr. Julian Weber. Why? He provides an initial overview of the topic in this interview. Find out more in his presentation at the eco Internet Security Days (ISDs) 2025.

In 2024, the eco Complaints Office team examined a total of 25,893 reports of potentially criminal or youth protection-related Internet content. As in previous years, sexualised violence against children and young people accounted for the largest share of reports, making up around 82%. The Annual Report of the eco Complaints Office 2024 shows that 99% of the content reported to the Complaints Office was removed.

The eco Association takes stock of digital policy after 100 days of the new German federal government. Although the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs has fulfilled a long-standing demand of the industry, many core digital projects have not yet crossed the starting line. eco sees urgent need for action, particularly in the areas of AI, data centres, administrative digitisation and data protection. eco also critically evaluates the plans for data retention in the new security package.

In this eco interview, Martin Küchenthal, Managing Director of LEMARIT, explains why a stable and secure digital brand identity is so important. He also talks about current dangers in the digital space and how artificial intelligence can make the work of specialists easier.

In an exclusive interview, Patrick Schönowski, Policy Officer for Digital Policy at the German SME Association (DMB), explains why IT security is an essential competitive factor and where politicians need to do more to support SMEs.

In addition to well-known Internet endings such as “.de” and “.com”, there is now a wide range of abbreviations that web addresses can end with – and rightly so, as a recent YouGov survey commissioned by eco shows. More than half of Germans consider them to be useful. Thomas Rickert, Director Names & Numbers at eco, contextualises the results.

Just in time for the approaching heatwave, we ask the question: How can people and plants cool down as energy-efficiently as possible? The IoT Competence Group of eco Association provides smart tips for cooling down.

The German Federal Constitutional Court has declared key regulations concerning Lawful Interception at the Source (Quellen-TKÜ) and online state searches to be partially unconstitutional. eco Board Member Klaus Landefeld welcomes the decision but warns of unresolved risks for IT security.

AI is only as good as the data it works with – but this is precisely where the risk lies. Confidential AI, however, protects data and models directly during processing. So, is the key to trustworthy AI actually in the cloud?

In this interview, Jens-Philipp Jung discusses the company’s beginnings, technological paradigm shifts in IT security, and the widening gap between security requirements and corporate reality.

In this interview, Tim Cappelmann, Managing Director of AirITSystems GmbH, explains what digitalisation really means today – and why it can only succeed with a stable security foundation.

One year ago, on 1 August 2024, the European AI Act came into force – a historic milestone for the global regulation of artificial intelligence. Europe has thus set comprehensive standards.

eco – Association of the Internet Industry regards the High-Tech Agenda of the Federal Ministry of Education, Research, Technology and Space as an important step towards enabling digital innovations “made in Germany”. With this initiative, the German federal government is sending a strong signal for the country’s future viability and demonstrating its recognition of the importance of digital innovation. The Association particularly welcomes the fact that Artificial Intelligence is identified as the number one key technology in the agenda.

The cabinet decision on the implementation of the NIS 2 Directive was announced today. This puts cybersecurity back on the political agenda – with tangible implications for companies in critical sectors. eco KRITIS expert Ulrich Plate explains the questions that remain unanswered in his latest assessment.

Quantum computers are developing faster than expected and pose a threat to traditional encryption methods. Crypto agility is becoming a prerequisite for long-term IT security in companies.

With the leaked draft of the "Security Package 2.0", the German Federal Ministry of the Interior is planning far-reaching digital surveillance powers – some of which would not be subject to judicial review. eco – Association of the Internet Industry warns against dismantling constitutional safeguards and calls for a reorientation in line with fundamental rights.

NIS2, CSA, CRA and e-evidence: eco's Competence Group on Critical Infrastructures (KRITIS) calls for clear, practical rules for digital resilience in EU cybersecurity policy.

With the “Email Security Year 2025” initiative, the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) and eco are sending out a strong signal in support of secure digital communication.

With the “Email Security Year 2025”, the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), eco – Association of the Internet Industry, and Bitkom are sending a strong signal for secure digital communication.

Only 10% of respondents to the eco Industry Pulse – a recent survey of IT decision-makers* conducted by the market and opinion research institute Civey on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry – believe that Germany is well prepared for upcoming AI developments. Germany also receives poor marks as a digital location: 72% of IT decision-makers in Germany rate the state of digital transformation as poor to very poor. One third even give it a grade of 6.

digital transformation is not an isolated process, but requires networking, exchange and clear interfaces between business, politics and society. In a short interview, Jan Moll, CEO of the dtm group and driving force behind netforum, talks about current developments in the digital industry, the importance of energy-efficient technologies and why platforms such as netforum are indispensable for future-proof digitalisation.

This year, Members of the German Bundestag Henri Schmidt, Daniel Bettermann, Rebecca Lenhard and Sonja Lemke engaged in a lively discussion at Google on the new Ministry of Digitalisation, AI, data centres, data retention and the modernisation of the state IT structure. eco Chair Oliver Süme and host Sabine Frank, Head of Governmental Affairs and Public Policy at Google DACH, added the voice of the Internet industry to the format.

These are ways to use AI in companies in a manner that complies with data protection regulations and is legally compliant. Andreas Bachmann, CEO and co-founder of eco member Adacor, shares in an interview how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can become even smarter in a sovereign way.

eco warns: 27% of Germans do not secure their mobile phones when on holiday. Here are five simple tips to protect yourself against data theft, identity theft and other risks.

The first federal states have already started their summer holidays and many families will be sharing their holiday experiences with friends and relatives via social media. But how conscious are parents and holidaymakers when it comes to sharing holiday photos?

Lower electricity costs for data centres mean more growth potential for the German economy – it’s basically a simple calculation. It is good that Reiche, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy in Germany, has recognised the potential of data centres for the German economy and brought it back onto the political agenda in the context of electricity price subsidies.

Digital infrastructures place high demands on power supply, cooling and system availability. Vertiv develops solutions specifically for these areas – such as data centres and industrial applications. In this interview, Sascha Horn, Regional Strategic Account Manager at Vertiv, provides insight into current trends and developments in the data centre market.

The Alliance for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures in Germany, an initiative founded within the eco Association by operators of digital infrastructure ecosystems, welcomes the data centre strategy announced today for the German federal state of Hesse and calls for a similar approach at the federal level to strengthen...

After the leaders of the CDU/CSU and SPD postponed the reduction in electricity tax originally agreed in the coalition agreement, the Alliance for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures in Germany, founded under the umbrella of the eco Association, appealed to the German Federal Government:

In close cooperation with eco and the AI Federal Association, LEAM is launching one of the most ambitious innovation projects for digital structural change and European AI sovereignty in the Rhineland mining region today.