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.

This year, ISD 2025 once again became the central meeting point for experts from business, science, politics and administration, who discussed current threats, new technologies and the framework conditions for IT security.

With a newly redesigned security survey, eco is specifically targeting cybersecurity experts this year with the aim of gaining a well-founded picture of the situation that goes far beyond mere threat statistics.

In times of increasing cyber threats, eco Association and the cyberintelligence.institute are sending a clear signal for enhanced IT security: At the Internet Security Days 2025, the two organisations signed a cooperation agreement, sealing an even closer collaboration for the future.

In the run-up to the eco Summer Party on 11 September, digital experts discussed current regulatory issues at Google’s Berlin office. Three 30-minute sessions focused on digital sovereignty, artificial intelligence and platform regulation.

eco and the IndustryFusion Foundation have agreed on a far-reaching cooperation to promote the expansion of digital infrastructures and sovereign data spaces for industrial applications in Europe.

From cars to digital services: “Software-Defined Vehicles” are shaping Europe’s mobility of tomorrow. Our article shows why digital infrastructure, data spaces, AI and cybersecurity are crucial – and what politics and businesses can do now.

FACIS is launching the first call for tenders as part of the European funding programme, IPCEI-CIS/8ra. The starting point is the Digital Contracting Service (DCS), which enables secure and efficient handling of contract processes in federated cloud and edge ecosystems.

On 12 September, the European Data Act comes into force – providing new momentum for Europe’s data economy. While the EU is already moving forward, Germany is in danger of falling behind, which could further exacerbate existing uncertainties in the Internet industry.

Today, the German Federal Cabinet approved the draft bill for the German KRITIS Umbrella Act (KRITIS DG), paving the way for further parliamentary proceedings. ‘The KRITIS Umbrella Act is an important step towards greater resilience in Germany. However, it will only be effective if responsibilities are clearly defined and unnecessary duplication of work is avoided," Ulrich Plate comments.

In today’s Tagesspiegel Background, eco Managing Director Alexander Rabe published his perspective on Germany’s digital transformation. The focus is on the question of how the existing AI gap between eastern and western Germany can be overcome.

In the context of the stakeholder consultation in the publication of the draft bill for the national implementation of the AI Act, the eco – Association of the Internet Industry warns against a lack of coordination between the responsible authorities and calls for  practical implementation. To this end, eco identifies five key levers for Germany as an AI location.

In this interview, Felix Höger, CEO of EuroCloud, talks about the role of resilience in the cloud and AI environment. He explains why highly available infrastructures are so crucial for the operation of AI applications, why modern AI would be inconceivable without the cloud, and how companies can achieve a balance between cost-effectiveness, sovereignty and resilience when developing cloud-based AI strategies.

Smartphone apps accompany us wherever we go, along with a multi-layered digital infrastructure that remains hidden from most people. Behind every gesture on the display, a complex interplay of Internet exchanges, data centres, content services and global providers unfolds... all of which somehow takes place in the cloud. Having a 'simple' app in your pocket actually means dozens of servers and networks are working in parallel. A recent analysis makes this invisible network tangible.

On 31 August 2025, the consultation period for the extension of the amendment to the German  Telecommunications Act ended, and with it the opportunity to officially comment on the key points. eco – Association of the Internet Industry sees the key points of the German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs (BMDS) as important impetus for the expansion of fibre optics and mobile communications in Germany.

Regarding the draft law on transparency and targeting of political advertising from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Public Administration, eco warns of massive understaffing of the responsible authorities. In the future, the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) is to function as the coordinating body for digital services – however, this does not even achieve half of the originally calculated staffing requirements.

Silke Kanes is the latest addition to the eco Association's Board. In this interview, she discusses her motivation for playing an active role in shaping digital transformation, the opportunities presented by the rapidly growing SaaS market, and the importance of diversity and corporate culture in driving innovation.

At today’s eco General Assembly, Silke Kanes was elected as a new member of the Board. With her appointment, the Association of the Internet Industry is expanding its Executive Board with a portfolio for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) as well as diversity and corporate culture, which Kanes will now take on.

Digital resilience is more than just a buzzword: it determines whether companies remain capable of acting in times of crisis. In this interview, Katharina M. Schwarz from Myra explains why we need to focus on a “mixed forest” instead of technical monocultures – and how true digital sovereignty can be achieved.

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 diversity, inclusion, and New Work principles – amplified by AI and digital sovereignty – are reshaping the future of innovation and collaboration.  

With the AI transformation and structural change, the Rhineland region is developing into a digital hub in the heart of Europe. In an interview with eco, Emil Issagholian (RheinEnergie) explains the role of energy infrastructure in this development.

The new members+ member portal enables direct interaction and collaboration for the eco community in the digital space and provides access to exclusive information and material. After the first few months, eco’s Managing Director Andreas Weiss takes initial stock of the portal in an interview.

Data centres are a key growth driver for Germany as a business location. To enable Germany to realise the full potential of artificial intelligence and digital innovations, eco has formulated five key requirements for a data centre strategy of the German federal government.

With the Email Security Year 2025 initiative, the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), eco Association and Bitkom are sending a strong signal for secure digital communication. At the heart of the initiative is the newly established “Hall of Fame”, which at its launch includes around 120 companies.

eco Association warns against recent plans presented for three-month IP storage obligation. eco Chair Oliver Süme sees this as a clear violation of European law, massive infringements of fundamental rights, and offering no real added value for investigations. Rather than billions of data mountains without added value, the association calls for rule-of-law alternatives such as the Quick Freeze model.

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.