dotmagazine is the online international magazine covering Internet industry topics. It features exciting articles from members & partners and covers the entire spectrum of the Internet industry. The perspectives in this issue of dotmagazine point to a clear answer that automation succeeds when humans remain at the center.

The “Digital Omnibus” aims to better align key European regulations. Through this comprehensive reorganisation of digital laws, the European Commission seeks to reduce bureaucracy and to provide more guidance for both companies and public authorities. eco Association expressly welcomes this approach and sees the “Digital Omnibus” as an opportunity for more modern, clearer digital regulation.

At ICANN84 in Dublin, Thomas Rickert, Director Names & Numbers of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, talks with Pim Pastoors, Product Manager of Hello Registry about how the industry is gearing up for the next round of new gTLDs, expected to launch in 2026.

At ICANN84 in Dublin, Thomas Rickert, Director Names & Numbers of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, sits down with Anna Dobrovolska, CEO of DomainCrawler, to talk about the upcoming next round of new gTLDs, expected to launch in April 2026

The eco Data Centre Alliance criticises the German federal government’s failed location policy. In particular, the Federal Council’s proposal on grid connection allocation – rejected by the Economic Committee — together with yesterday’s coalition committee agreement on an industrial electricity price, are, in the association’s view, jeopardising the data centre industry in Germany.

In our 5 November webinar, DOTZON unveiled the latest Digital Company Brands 2025 insights and showed why brandTLDs are becoming essential assets in corporate digital strategy.

The German hotlines of eco, FSM and jugendschutz.net are hosting a webinar on 18 November for educational professionals, multipliers and all other interested parties on the occasion of the “European Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse”. The webinar provides practical knowledge and guidance.

A late start, but on the home stretch: Germany has managed the long run-up and will finally adapt the important NIS-2 implementation. The second stage of the EU infringement procedure hung over Berlin like a sword of Damocles for a long time; but now there is finally movement in the legislative backlog on cybersecurity.

Half a year after the German federal government took office, citizens are drawing a sobering interim assessment: a recent YouGov survey commissioned by the eco Association shows that around two-thirds of the population are dissatisfied with the government’s digital policy.

Deep fakes are fundamentally changing the way we deal with information. In this interview, Lennart Grunau from JAMORIE explains why AI-generated fakes are becoming a real threat, why anyone can be affected — and what companies need to do now.

dotmagazine is the online international magazine covering Internet industry topics. It features exciting articles from members & partners and covers the entire spectrum of the Internet industry. In dotmagazine’s October issue, experts show how Security, Trust & Compliance – from AI to email and quantum – are building Europe’s digital resilience through collaboration and innovation.

The German federal government plans to store IP addresses for up to three months. From eco's point of view, this would be a step backwards in digital policy: renewed blanket data retention jeopardises fundamental rights, creates economic burdens and undermines trust in digital services. Instead, the association is calling for a legally compliant, proportionate and technically feasible solution that is aligned with the ECJ requirements.

The project DIRECTIONS, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), strengthens transparency and trust in digital learning. SMART Technologies has made a self-commitment to data protection for its Lumio learning system and is now listed in the Trusted Cloud Register.

How companies and governments must now prepare for the quantum leap in IT security.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has extended the submission deadline for the Applicant Support Program (ASP) as part of the new Generic Top-Level Domain (gTLD) Program.

Today, eco Managing Director Alexander Rabe was once again nominated by a majority vote of the German Bundestag as a member of the Advisory Board of the Digital Services Coordinator (DSC) at the Federal Network Agency.

eco and AV-TEST will publish monthly reports on Internet abuse under the title “topDNS Report: Monthly Analysis for ISPs.” The goal is to create a reliable and long-term data foundation, particularly for Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

On 8 October 2025, experts from KOR Labs, the NetBeacon Institute, URLAbuse, and eco’s topDNS Initiative came together for a deep dive into how DNS abuse is measured in practice – exploring the advantages, challenges, and limitations of different methods.

In this interview, Pim Pastoors from Hello Registry shares how they combine decades of experience from the teams behind .nl and .ca to deliver a next-generation registry backend built on trust, resilience, and collaboration.

In this interview, Katrin Ohlmer from DOTZON shares strategic insights for success in the upcoming new gTLD round. From lessons learned in 2012 to innovative use cases for dotBrands, geoTLDs, and open TLDs, they outline what it takes to build sustainable and future-ready digital identities.

The highlight of the eco’s Anniversary Year 2025 was the Internet Policy Anniversary Forum on 7 October in Berlin – an evening that connected the past and the future.

The draft proposal by the Danish Council Presidency for the planned chat control carries significant risks for citizens, companies and critical infrastructure. Additionally, the latest Annual Report from the eco Complaints Office, which has been working with law enforcement agencies and international partners for over 25 years to combat illegal online content, underscores the high effectiveness of existing structures. eco is therefore calling on the German federal government and EU Member States to reject this proposal on 14 October.

Tomorrow, the European Commission will present its new “AI Apply” strategy, aiming to strengthen Europe as an AI hub and promote innovation. The eco Association welcomes this step, but calls for holistic implementation across all sectors.

In this interview, Anna Dobrovolska, CEO of DomainCrawler, shares concrete, data-driven steps for success in the upcoming new gTLD programme. From validating your idea to building registrar partnerships, Anna reveals what separates the TLDs that thrive from those that fade.

In this interview, Simone Catania, Global Content & Communications Manager at InterNetX, shares how registrars translate registry strategies into pricing, UX, support and communications – turning new gTLDs into trusted, long-term successes.

Lexsynergy, a globally accredited registrar and online brand protection specialist, has decades of experience helping brands, IP firms and resellers secure and optimise their online presence across the digital space. In this interview, we explore Lexsynergy’s approach to domain management and brand protection, and what to expect from the 2026 gTLD round and beyond.

Ivo Ivanov, the CEO from DE-CIX, explains how the Atlantic Convergence 2025 in Lisbon – taking place from 28 to 30 October – will address urgent security, trust and compliance challenges facing the pan-Atlantic digital ecosystem.

The German federal government plans to soon discuss the implementation law for the Data Act in the cabinet. eco welcomes this step, but warns that the German federal government has let valuable time to slip away during the long transition period. Now, swift action must be taken to avoid placing unnecessary obstacles in the path of German companies.

The German Internet industry continues to grow rapidly – the latest study by Arthur D. Little on behalf of the eco Association forecasts annual growth of around ten per cent despite the recession. According to the study, total revenues will rise from the current €245 billion to €389 billion by 2030. However, eco warns of structural deficits that could jeopardise this growth trajectory.

dotmagazine is the online international magazine covering Internet industry topics. It features exciting articles from members & partners and covers the entire spectrum of the Internet industry. This edition of dotmagazine explores how sovereignty, compliance, and innovation intersect while sovereign clouds and decentralized networks are shaping the future of security.