Policy & Law

eco on the AI Act: Missed Opportunity for Activating an Innovative AI Ecosystem in Europe

eco Chair of the Board Oliver Süme comments on the AI Act adopted by the EU: “The EU aimed to be a pioneer with the AI regulation – but it doesn’t look like Europe has done itself a favour as a digital and AI location, given the agreement on the European AI Act that has now been presented. I particularly regret...

date 2023/12/12

press

Policy & Law

Mid-Term German Traffic Light Coalition: Approximately 80% of Germans Dissatisfied with the German Federal Government’s Digital Policy

eco survey at the mid-term of the traffic light coalition: 78.2 per cent believe that the traffic light coalition is not driving the digital transformation forward.

date 2023/12/05

press

Lars Steffen

Domains

Lars Steffen, eco Association, is EuroISPA Vice-President

EuroISPA, the umbrella organisation of European provider associations, has elected Lars Steffen, Head of International, Digital Infrastructures & Resilience at eco – Association of the Internet Industry, as its new Vice-President.

date 2023/12/01

press

Policy & Law

Mid-term Review of German Coalition: Stop-and-Go Instead...

After two years since the formation of the current German "traffic light" coalition, eco provides a mixed assessment of the progress in digital policy. In the Traffic Light Coalition Check, the association analysed twelve areas of Internet policy action and compared them with the goals of the coalition agreement. The conclusion reached by eco Chair of the Board Oliver Süme. “Instead of an ambitious digital policy, after two years of the current German coalition government, we are experiencing at best a stop-and-go.”

date 2023/11/20

press

Policy & Law

Digital Turning Point in Germany Requires Sovereign and Efficient Digital Infrastructures

Germany is at a turning point. At the German federal government’s Digital Summit in Jena on 20 and 21 November 2023, representatives from business, society, science and politics will discuss how digital services and technologies contribute to addressing multiple challenges such as the fight against effects of advancing climate change, the increasing scarcity of resources, or the energy crisis.

date 2023/11/20

press

Policy & Law

November 18 is the European Day of Action against Child Sexual Exploitation: Safely Report Online Depictions of Child Abuse

To mark the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, the German hotlines FSM, eco and jugendschutz.net have compiled important tips for dealing in Germany with online depictions of abuse of minors.

date 2023/11/16

press

Policy & Law

eco: Trilogue Must Recognise Signals and Revise CSAM Regulation

Today, the EU Civil Liberties Committee (LIBE) voted in favour of its recently presented compromise on the EU Commission’s proposed CSAM Regulation. With this compromise, the lead EU parliamentary committee imposes clear limitations on the proposed chat controls and opposes the weakening of end-to-end encryption.

date 2023/11/14

press

Policy & Law

Gigabit Rollout in Germany Must Be Facilitated 

Associations in Germany are calling for improvements in the conditions for network rollout. Today the Gigabit Symposium – organised by ANGA, Bitkom, BREKO, BUGLAS, eco and VATM – is reviewing the situation together with politicians and the industry, with the current German federal government now two years in action. The important EU level groundwork is also under discussion.

date 2023/11/14

press

Artificial Intelligence

42 Per Cent of Germans Still Sceptical Regarding the Benefits of Artificial Intelligence

AI is a key technology of the future with a wide range of possible applications and the potential to transform the economy, science and society. Nevertheless, there are still major reservations about AI-based technologies in large parts of the German population, as displayed through an eco/Civey survey. eco calls for a broad debate in order to boost societal acceptance.

date 2023/11/13

press

Policy & Law

eco on Germany’s newly created federal state body: “The Digital Ministers’ Conference of the federal states can raise digital policy to a new level”

eco expressly welcomes the fact that the key theme of “digitalisation” is receiving its own federal state body at ministerial level for the first time, thereby aligning with the conferences of ministers of other established departments.

date 2023/11/13

press

Policy & Law

Association of the Internet Industry Calls for Consistent Repeal of Data Retention

At the request of the German CDU/CSU parliamentary group, the Legal Affairs Committee will today once again discuss the retention of private IP addresses. This is in spite of the fact that, on 22 September 2022, the ECJ already ruled that the German regulations on data retention are not compatible with Union law.

date 2023/10/11

press

Policy & Law

eco on the German Unity Day: One in Three Germans Believes Reunification Would Have Occurred Sooner with the Internet

It is difficult to predict how German reunification would have unfolded if the Internet had existed in its current form. However, approximately one in three Germans (30.5 per cent) believes that German reunification would have occurred sooner if the digital global networking had existed at that time. These are the results of a representative survey of 2,515 Germans conducted by the opinion research institute Civey on behalf of the eco – Association of the Internet Industry, on the occasion of this year’s German Unification Day.

date 2023/10/02

press

Policy & Law

eco: “Thoroughly revise CSAM Regulation now; otherwise it will fail before the ECJ at the latest”

The EU Commission's proposal for a CSAM Regulation, including the much disputed chat control, continues to generate much discussion and massive critique. eco now advocates for a fundamental reconsideration of the provisions on proactive search obligations and disabling access, as well as a general revision of the rules on proactive search for the purpose of detecting child sexual abuse on the Internet.

date 2023/09/28

press

Policy & Law

eco on the State of the Union: “Europe must pursue a more opportunity-oriented policy that does not stifle innovations like AI”

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today delivered a State of the Union speech, highlighting that Europe must be a pioneer in AI and stand for transparent, ethical development. eco Chair of the Board Oliver Süme is of the opinion that the Commission President focused too excessively on the potential dangers of AI and digital technologies.

date 2023/09/13

press

Policy & Law

eco on the Ruling of the German Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig: SpaceNet Data Retention Lawsuit

Following the long-awaited ruling by the European Court of Justice on 22 September last year, which stated that the German regulations on data retention are incompatible with EU law, the German Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig has now also issued its verdict. eco Chair of the Board Oliver Süme calls on the German federal government on the occasion of the ruling: “The German federal government should now finally seize the opportunity to set a political course and initiate the repeal of data retention.”

date 2023/09/07

press