Combatting illegal and harmful Internet content has become a core challenge for our society. 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of eco’s Complaints Office – an initiative that has been contributing to the rapid removal of illegal content since 1996, and focuses on improving youth protection on the Internet.
Youth protection is now at the heart of a heated political debate: Across Europe, governments are discussing the introduction of a legal minimum age for social media use. Proposals from the German parties SPD and CDU/CSU envisage mandatory age verification and, in some cases, far-reaching restrictions. eco calls for a EU-coordinated solution and warns against blanket bans. Many platforms already operate with a minimum age based on their terms and conditions. Besides which, Article 28 of the DSA already sets out binding requirements for the protection of minors online. Due to the DSA’s full harmonisation, Member States are generally not permitted to enact conflicting national special requirements in areas that are already regulated. Read more on this debate here.
Furthermore, the EU Commission is planning a reform package of its digital laws to better align key European regulatory frameworks in order to remain technologically and economically competitive. eco views this “Digital Omnibus” as an opportunity for more modern, clearer digital regulation. Read eco’s most recent position papers on the Digital Omnibus in this issue’s eco Position or find out more about the EU summit in our News section.
Another urgent topic in the Internet industry is cybersecurity as highlighted by the Munich Security Index 2026, which was published ahead of the Munich Security Conference. Despite the constant fear of cyberattacks, eco’s Industry Pulse reveals that only about one-third of IT decision-makers in Germany consider the level of cybersecurity to be low. More on this can be found in the Figure of the Month.
This issue also features exciting interviews on AI infrastructure and with the newest member to the Alliance for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures, insights into recent Internet political themes such as the Digital Networks Act or the climate and environmental protection in the data centre sector. There are plenty of debates and events to look forward to this year – from the Brussels AI Symposium where eco Chair of the Board Oliver Süme will be exploring how to unlock Europe’s AI opportunity, to the broader discussions that will shape digital policy in the months to come.
