Policy & Law

Legal Expert Opinions on German Hate Speech Law Confirm Internet Industry Concerns

eco sees a clear confirmation of its own assessment and critical analysis of the draft German law on combating right-wing extremism and hate crime and the Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG).

date 2020/09/17

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Policy & Law

Digital Decade: Sustainability and Digitalisation Two Sides of the Same Coin

In her keynote speech on the State of the European Union today, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen set out what the eco Association sees as important goals for the Digital Decade, and addressed some of the most urgent challenges in the context of digitalisation.

date 2020/09/16

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Policy & Law

Sustainable Digital Infrastructures: “Digitalisation is more than just streaming video”

“When it comes to sustainability, digitalisation should be seen as part of the solution, not as part of the problem,” says Alexander Rabe, Managing Director of eco on the occasion of the presentation today by Environment Minister Svenja Schulze of plans for more energy and resource efficiency in digital infrastructures.

date 2020/09/10

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Policy & Law

eco on the Amendment to the German Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB): “Harmonised EU Approach Instead of National Go-it-Alone Efforts”

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) today passed the now 10th amendment of the German Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB). eco takes a critical stance on the planned changes in competition law.

date 2020/09/09

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Policy & Law

Artificial Intelligence: eco Association Cautions Against an Innovation Standstill

This week, the German Bundestag intends to pass a motion on the “Future Technology Artificial Intelligence”, which will include a statement on the European Commission’s AI White Paper. In February of this year, the EU Commission announced stronger regulations in its AI White Paper.  

date 2020/09/09

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Cloud Computing

EuroCloud: Data Protection Without the EU-US Privacy Shield – What to Do

The European Court of Justice overturned the EU-US Privacy Shield Agreement in July 2020. This means that cloud providers and other companies should act act now and immediately check their privacy notices under Articles 13 and 14 of the GDPR, and amend these if necessary. EuroCloud offers providers a checklist for data protection without the Privacy Shield as a download.

date 2020/08/20

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Policy & Law

eco Survey on Germany’s Digital Policy in the Corona Crisis: Majority of Respondents Call on Government to Build a High-Performance & Competitive Digital Infrastructure – Time for a Digital Ministry

In light of the Corona crisis, the German federal government should focus more on digital policy issues. 65.4 percent of Germans share this view, according to a representative survey commissioned by eco – Association of the Internet Industry from the opinion research institute Civey - a survey in which 2,500 people in Germany took part at the beginning of August.

date 2020/08/13

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Policy & Law

eco Welcomes the German Federal Network Agency’s Security Catalogue: Transparent 5G Network Roll-out Without Discrimination

The German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) today published the latest draft of its security catalogue. eco welcomes the fact that the BNetzA has not succumbed to political pressure and has focused on appropriate criteria for the security of telecommunications networks.

date 2020/08/12

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Policy & Law

eco on the German Copyright Service Provider Act: Call for an Unequivocal Rejection of Upload Filters

In June, the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV) published a discussion draft on a Second Act on the Adaptation of Copyright Law to the Requirements of the Digital Single Market. With the related Act, the controversial Art. 17 of the EU Copyright Reform (DSM Directive) is also to be transposed into German law.

date 2020/08/04

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Policy & Law

eco Criticizes new German Telemedia Act: Legislator misses opportunity to give clear rejection to the blocking of Internet content

On 2 July 2020, the German parliament, the Bundestag, passed a bill to amend the German Telemedia Act (TMG). eco regrets that the legislator did not take the opportunity to finally eliminate the basis for the blocking of Internet content, which creates legal uncertainty for businesses and citizens alike and is not an adequate means of enforcing copyright claims on the Internet.

date 2020/07/22

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Policy & Law

AI strategy for companies: Eight steps to digital transformation

For the majority of the companies, what is currently most relevant is a strategy that strengthens their own value creation in the long term.

date 2020/07/22

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Policy & Law

eco on the End of the EU-US Privacy Shield: The consequences for companies & international data traffic are dramatic

The European Court of Justice today overturned the EU-US Privacy Shield Agreement.  The Association of the Internet Industry predicts a significant impact on many companies in the EU that have relied on the Privacy Shield for data transfers to the US.

date 2020/07/16

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Policy & Law

eco on the Upcoming ECJ Decision on EU-US Privacy Shield

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) will decide today, 16 July, in the Schrems II case, whether the standard contractual clauses of the European Commission and, if applicable, the EU-US Privacy Shield rule will apply to the transfer of personal data to countries outside the European Union.

date 2020/07/16

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eco

Start of the German EU Council Presidency: Association of the Internet Industry Presents 6 Requirements for Greater Digitalisation in Europe

To mark the start of the German EU Council Presidency, the Association of the Internet Industry has compiled a 6-point catalogue of requirements for Europe’s digitalisation. eco also calls for a pan-European Digitalisation Roundtable comprised of national representatives of the Internet industry.

date 2020/07/01

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Policy & Law

GDPR Evaluation: eco Calls for Clear Rules and Assistance for SMEs

The GDPR has been in force since 25 May 2018. From the perspective of the eco Association, despite initial concerns, the GDPR has after two years now established itself as a fundamentally appropriate regulatory instrument – but there is still room for improvement in its implementation for SMEs.

date 2020/06/24

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