Policy & Law

eco Comments on ECJ Ruling on GMail: “Positive Signal for Data Protection”

Last Thursday, the ECJ ruled that the “Gmail” service should not be treated as a telecommunications service under European law, thus foiling the plans of the German Federal Network Agency to subject web services to the provisions of the German Telecommunications Act.

date 2019/06/17

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Networks

eco Comments on End of 5G Spectrum Auction: “Milestone for a Networked Germany”

The German Federal Network Agency has declared the 5G spectrum auction closed. According to eco Board Member Klaus Landefeld: “The end of the 5G spectrum auction marks a fundamental milestone on Germany's path to becoming a networked industry location and society."

date 2019/06/14

press

Policy & Law

eco: “Encroachment on encryption and statutory backdoors thwart IT security.”

eco, together with representatives of German and European industry, academia, and civil society, criticizes in an open letter the plans of the German Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) for wanting to legally oblige providers of messenger services to retroactively alter end-to-end encryption.

date 2019/06/14

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Policy & Law

eco Criticizes Ministers of Justice Plans on Blanket Data Retention: “Resuscitation measures are not an option”

Oliver Süme, eco Chair of the Board, warns against renewed discussions on European information and retention obligations for the Internet industry: “Any policy to revive blanket data retention is not an option, in any form whatsoever.”

date 2019/06/06

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Policy & Law

EU Copyright Comes into Effect

eco calls for a sense of proportion in the implementation of the EU Copyright Directive

date 2019/06/06

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© eco - Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V.

Security

Study Commisssion Artificial Intelligence

“We must make AI safe, trustworthy and successful”, says eco board member Prof. Norbert Pohlmann.

date 2019/06/04

press

Policy & Law

Internet Industry Discusses Data Protection in Washington: Strengthen EU-US Privacy Shield

On 22 May, representatives of the Internet industry and politics from both sides of the Atlantic came together in Washington to participate in a critical exchange on transatlantic data protection and the future of the EU-US Privacy Shield.

date 2019/05/27

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Policy & Law

Many Companies Still Uncertain One Year into the GDPR

eco Association welcomes the initiative of the German federal government to protect companies from discretionary warning penalties. DPAs’ period of grace for imposition of heavy fines will soon draw to a close.

date 2019/05/22

press

© eco - Verband der Internetwirtschaft e.V.

Policy & Law

European Election 2019: eco Performs Digital Policy Campaign Check

eco compares digital policy positions of parties on 12 points and calls for completion of the digital single market with a unified legal framework as a priority for the EU election

date 2019/05/10

press

Policy & Law

eco on EU Ethics Guidelines for AI: Promoting Societal Discourse on Responsibility for Artificial Intelligence

Commenting on the new guidelines for the ethical use of artificial intelligence presented by the EU Commission, eco Chair Oliver J. Süme welcomes the EU's message concerning the development of trustworthy AI applications. With its own guidelines for handling AI, as well as a Digital Ethics Compendium, the eco Association is helping to promote a whole-society discourse on responsibility for artificial intelligence.

date 2019/04/08

press

Policy & Law

IT Skills Shortage: Digital Infrastructure Operators Support...

Many industries are looking for skilled specialists in Germany, but few sectors are so affected by the search for suitable personnel as the drivers of the digital transformation. The Alliance for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures in Germany is supporting an initiative “Establishing STEM's Future” in proactively tackling this skills shortage.

date 2019/04/04

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Policy & Law

eco Complaints Office Annual Report 2018: “Principle of Take-down Instead of Blocking Works”

The eco Complaints Office published its Annual Report on 3 April 2019 in the European Parliament and demonstrates that the principle of “take-down instead of blocking” works.

date 2019/04/03

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Jörg Bienert, Präsident Bundesverband KI und Prof. Dr. Norbert Pohlmann, eco Vorstand

Policy & Law

Industry Associations Aim to Drive Germany Forward as an AI Location

eco Association and the German National AI Association announce strategic partnership: High-performance infrastructures, promotion of skilled workers, and ethical use of AI in focus

date 2019/03/28

press

Policy & Law

European Copyright Law Including Upload Filter Is On Its Way: “This Decision Will Fundamentally Change the Internet”

Today, the European Parliament cast its final vote on the European Copyright Directive. With its decision in favor of a European copyright law which includes a European ancillary copyright law and the introduction of upload filters, the European Parliament is flying in the face of a broad alliance comprised of civil society, academics, the digital industry, and Internet politicians – but also journalists, authors, and content creators.

date 2019/03/26

press

Policy & Law

eco Association: Companies Urgently Need to Prepare Cloud Use for Brexit

When it comes to data protection, Brexit also poses challenges for German companies. Whether there is a deal or a hard Brexit: In either case, the United Kingdom will become a third country under the GDPR once they leave the EU. This compels companies to check their cross-border processing of personal data as a matter of urgency.

date 2019/03/21

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