Toggle navigation eco Press Releases Press Releases Press Distribution List Press DownloadsPress TextPhotographsLogosStudiesAnnual ReportsPortfolio Press Security eco Association on PHP2Shell: A Wake-Up Call for the Software Supply Chain in the AI Era Critical PHP vulnerabilities are disrupting websites: eco Association outlines immediate measures for operators and calls for greater transparency in the software supply chain. The incident highlights how rapidly AI is intensifying the threat landscape and the importance of clearly defined responsibilities throughout the IT supply chain. date 2026/10/23 press Policy & Law eco Association on the Digital Omnibus: Europe Promises Regulatory Relief but Leaves Key Barriers to AI in Place Europe must not squander its economic potential in the global AI race due to a lack of legal certainty and unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles. That is why, following the EU Member States’ agreement on a common position regarding the Digital Omnibus, eco Association is calling for a clear legal framework for AI training and proportionate data protection obligations. date 2026/10/22 press Cloud Computing EuroCloud Pulse Check 2026: European Cloud Providers Gain Importance in the AI Era The new EuroCloud Pulse Check 2026 shows that AI is transforming the cloud strategies of German companies and strengthening the role of European providers. This is particularly evident in AI workloads and the growing trend towards multi-cloud environments. date 2026/10/19 press Policy & Law eco Survey: Companies in Germany Are Deploying AI Agents Under Controlled Conditions – Blanket Calls to Slow AI Development Miss the Mark A recent survey conducted by the market research institute Civey among 500 companies on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry shows that companies are already addressing this challenge in practice by setting clear boundaries and implementing safety mechanisms. date 2026/10/19 press Policy & Law eco on the German Federal Government’s Key Proposals for Protecting Children and Young People Online: A European Solution Instead of National Transitional Rules eco – Association of the Internet Industry welcomes the German federal government’s increased focus on promoting media literacy among children and young people in the key proposals adopted today. However, eco Association calls for a European solution to establish a minimum age for using social networks and sees a need for further action to support and strengthen established complaints offices. date 2026/10/19 press Policy & Law eco on IP Address Retention: Another Attempt, the Same Problems On the occasion of today's public hearing of the German Bundestag's Committee on Legal Affairs on the planned retention of IP addresses, eco – Association of the Internet Industry has once again warned against a disproportionate obligation to retain data indiscriminately. The German federal government's draft legislation provides for IP addresses and other data required to identify users to be retained for a period of three months as a general rule. date 2026/10/08 press Policy & Law 10 Years of the Internet Policy Forum: Balanced Regulation and an Innovation-Friendly Framework Are Key to Germany’s Digital Capacity to Act For the tenth time, eco discussed with representatives from politics and industry at yesterday’s Internet Policy Forum in Berlin what conditions Germany needs to create by 2030 to strengthen its digital capacity to act. date 2026/10/07 press Policy & Law Ahead of Cabinet Decision: eco – Association of the Internet Industry Calls for Effective Protection Against Digital Violence Without Overblocking Ahead of tomorrow’s cabinet discussion on the proposed law against digital violence, eco is calling for effective protection for those affected – without overblocking or additional bureaucratic burdens for service providers. In particular, eco sees a need for further clarification regarding the interaction with the Digital Services Act, the proposed account suspension measures and the definition of new criminal offences. date 2026/10/06 press Policy & Law eco on the Hearing on the Cybersecurity Act Following today’s hearing of the Committee on Internal Affairs on the Act to Strengthen Cybersecurity, eco – Association of the Internet Industry continues to see a considerable need for improvements. The planned interventions in IT systems and data traffic raise fundamental questions regarding proportionality, technical feasibility and oversight under the rule of law. Among other things, public authorities are to be able to redirect or record data traffic, delete or alter data in IT systems and intervene in domain name resolution. date 2026/10/06 press Policy & Law New German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) Hennemann: eco Association anticipates clear impetus for modern data law eco Association welcomes Prof. Dr Moritz Hennemann as he takes office as German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI), facing important reforms in data protection supervision and data law. date 2026/09/30 press Security eco IT Security Survey: Just Under a Third Report Tangible Impacts from Cyber Incidents – SMEs Need Support Companies are making progress in their handling of cyber incidents but remain under considerable pressure to adapt. This is shown by the eco Association’s new 2026 IT Security Survey. Just under a third of the IT decision-makers surveyed report incidents with tangible impacts over the past twelve months. date 2026/09/30 press Policy & Law eco on the Hearing on Digital Investigative Powers: The Internet Must Not Become a Biometric Search Space Reliability of automated matches and evidential robustness remain unclear eco calls for fundamental revision of the draft acts Berlin, 21 September 2026 – On the occasion of today’s hearing of the Committee on Internal Affairs on the planned digital investigative powers, eco – Association of the Internet Industry... date 2026/09/21 press Policy & Law eco on the EU Kids Act: “Child Protection Requires a Clear Direction in EU Law” eco is calling for clear responsibilities, a coherent legal framework and the avoidance of duplicate regulation wherever possible. The European Commission plans to officially present its draft “EU Kids Act” tomorrow, Thursday. Initial details of the planned EU rules to strengthen the protection of children are already available. date 2026/09/16 press Policy & Law eco on the Prien Commission’s Closing Conference: No Patchwork Approach to Child Protection – Germany Must Back a European Solution With the expiry of the temporary derogation for voluntary chat monitoring on 3 April 2026, there is a risk of a legal gap arising in the European Union with regard to the voluntary detection of child sexual abuse material on the Internet. After the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament failed to agree on an extension of the derogation, pressure is mounting to find a swift and long-term solution for voluntary proactive measures by service providers as part of the trilogue negotiations on the CSAM Regulation. date 2026/09/09 press Policy & Law eco Board Member on the Cyberattack Against Berlin: “The State Must Not Exempt Itself from Cybersecurity Requirements” The August cyberattack on parts of Berlin’s state administration network and the publication of the stolen data on 4 September demonstrate, in the view of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, how dangerous differing security standards for the public and private sectors can be. date 2026/09/08 press Artificial Intelligence IW Study: €120 Billion in Revenue from AI-Powered Innovation – Germany’s Strength Lies in Industrial Applications A new study by IW Consult, commissioned by eco, shows that Germany’s strength as a business location stems from the combination of industry expertise, data and engineering expertise: AI-powered product innovations and new service offerings are already generating more than €120 billion in revenue. date 2026/09/07 press Policy & Law eco Firmly Rejects SPD Proposal for an AI Tax: “AI must not put Germany at a competitive disadvantage” At its closed-door meeting today, the SPD parliamentary group in the German Bundestag intends to adopt new guidelines on the use of AI in the workplace. Among other things, it plans to impose higher taxes on productivity gains from AI and on large technology companies. date 2026/09/04 press Policy & Law eco ahead of the cabinet retreat: removing barriers to investment in Germany eco is calling for concrete measures at the cabinet retreat to boost competitiveness and technological sovereignty – with better investment conditions for digital infrastructure, less bureaucracy and practical AI rules to unlock 96 billion Euro in value creation potential in industry. date 2026/08/21 press Policy & Law BND Reform: Vulnerabilities Must Not Become a Tool for Intelligence Service Access eco has warned of new cyber risks arising from the BND reform and has criticised, in particular, the handling of vulnerabilities, the role of the BSI and the BND’s expanded powers to intervene within Germany. The association is calling for tighter legal limits and effective independent prior scrutiny – particularly in relation to automated and AI-supported measures. date 2026/08/12 press Policy & Law Deepfakes: Majority Expect to Be Deceived by AI Manipulation 55 per cent believe they are likely to be deceived by deepfakes or other AI manipulation within the next five years 28 per cent expect damaging or abusive AI content to be created about them eco calls for clear rules, understandable labelling and better awareness-raising Berlin, 5 August 2026 – Fifty-five... date 2026/08/12 press Security Eight Months of NIS2: Implementation Remains Challenging for Companies Eight months after NIS2 came into force, a recent eco survey reveals that implementation remains a challenge for many companies. Respondents identify documentation requirements, reporting processes, and risk analysis and management as the biggest hurdles. Ulrich Plate, an eco KRITIS expert, emphasises: “What’s crucial now is practical guidance and effective processes in day-to-day business operations.” date 2026/08/11 press Policy & Law eco on Prien’s Plans for a National Social Media Law: No Temporary Regulatory Patchwork eco has warned against a German transitional regulation on the protection of minors on social media and is calling for uniform European guidelines based on the Digital Services Act. date 2026/08/11 press Andreas Weiss eco 35 Years Since the First Website: The Starting Point for the Commercial Internet The launch of the first website on 6 August 1991 laid the foundations for today’s e-commerce, digital platforms and other business models. Today, digital platform and transaction models alone generate 40 per cent of the Internet industry’s revenue. date 2026/08/05 press Credit: iStock / tsingha25 E-Mail 42 Years After Germany Received Its First Email: eco Association Says Companies Must Take Responsibility for Email Security A name, logo or plausible-looking sender address is not enough to reliably establish that an email really comes from a particular company. Nevertheless, 86 per cent of adults in Germany consider at least one of these visible features sufficient proof that an email can be trusted. date 2026/08/05 press Policy & Law Transparency Obligations for Artificial Intelligence Commence Amid Regulatory Uncertainty From 2 August, new transparency obligations will apply to AI applications and AI-generated content. eco calls for clear technical standards and consistent implementation of the AI Act across Europe. date 2026/07/31 press Policy & Law eco Is a Partner of the German “Wallet-Ready?! Initiative Against the backdrop of the upcoming introduction of European Digital Identity Wallets (EUDI wallets), leading associations, federations, institutions and subject matter experts in Germany have come together in the voluntary “Wallet-ready?! Initiative. date 2026/07/29 press Policy & Law eco on the announced appointment of Gitta Connemann to the German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation Commenting on the announced appointment of Gitta Connemann as Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation, Alexander Rabe, Managing Director of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, stated: date 2026/07/28 press Policy & Law eco Criticises France’s Social Media Ban: European Solutions Rather Than a National Patchwork eco notes with concern that, despite indications to the contrary last week, France has now become the first European country to introduce a general minimum age of 15 for the use of social media. date 2026/07/23 press Policy & Law Only 13 Days Until They Apply: eco Warns Against Flying Blind on AI Transparency Obligations The European Commission has published its final guidelines on transparency obligations under the AI Act only 13 days before they come into application − far too late. Companies now have to analyse complex requirements, adapt internal processes and implement technical solutions within a very short period of time. date 2026/07/21 press iStock.com/towfiqu ahamed Policy & Law European Solutions Instead of National Patchworks: eco Calls for Coherent Youth Media Protection The European Commission today published the final report of its expert group on the protection of minors in the digital environment. The report contains recommendations for the future design of the European legal framework, including a minimum age of 13 for the use of social media and risk-based, graduated access to digital services. date 2026/07/15 press
Security eco Association on PHP2Shell: A Wake-Up Call for the Software Supply Chain in the AI Era Critical PHP vulnerabilities are disrupting websites: eco Association outlines immediate measures for operators and calls for greater transparency in the software supply chain. The incident highlights how rapidly AI is intensifying the threat landscape and the importance of clearly defined responsibilities throughout the IT supply chain. date 2026/10/23 press
Policy & Law eco Association on the Digital Omnibus: Europe Promises Regulatory Relief but Leaves Key Barriers to AI in Place Europe must not squander its economic potential in the global AI race due to a lack of legal certainty and unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles. That is why, following the EU Member States’ agreement on a common position regarding the Digital Omnibus, eco Association is calling for a clear legal framework for AI training and proportionate data protection obligations. date 2026/10/22 press
Cloud Computing EuroCloud Pulse Check 2026: European Cloud Providers Gain Importance in the AI Era The new EuroCloud Pulse Check 2026 shows that AI is transforming the cloud strategies of German companies and strengthening the role of European providers. This is particularly evident in AI workloads and the growing trend towards multi-cloud environments. date 2026/10/19 press
Policy & Law eco Survey: Companies in Germany Are Deploying AI Agents Under Controlled Conditions – Blanket Calls to Slow AI Development Miss the Mark A recent survey conducted by the market research institute Civey among 500 companies on behalf of eco – Association of the Internet Industry shows that companies are already addressing this challenge in practice by setting clear boundaries and implementing safety mechanisms. date 2026/10/19 press
Policy & Law eco on the German Federal Government’s Key Proposals for Protecting Children and Young People Online: A European Solution Instead of National Transitional Rules eco – Association of the Internet Industry welcomes the German federal government’s increased focus on promoting media literacy among children and young people in the key proposals adopted today. However, eco Association calls for a European solution to establish a minimum age for using social networks and sees a need for further action to support and strengthen established complaints offices. date 2026/10/19 press
Policy & Law eco on IP Address Retention: Another Attempt, the Same Problems On the occasion of today's public hearing of the German Bundestag's Committee on Legal Affairs on the planned retention of IP addresses, eco – Association of the Internet Industry has once again warned against a disproportionate obligation to retain data indiscriminately. The German federal government's draft legislation provides for IP addresses and other data required to identify users to be retained for a period of three months as a general rule. date 2026/10/08 press
Policy & Law 10 Years of the Internet Policy Forum: Balanced Regulation and an Innovation-Friendly Framework Are Key to Germany’s Digital Capacity to Act For the tenth time, eco discussed with representatives from politics and industry at yesterday’s Internet Policy Forum in Berlin what conditions Germany needs to create by 2030 to strengthen its digital capacity to act. date 2026/10/07 press
Policy & Law Ahead of Cabinet Decision: eco – Association of the Internet Industry Calls for Effective Protection Against Digital Violence Without Overblocking Ahead of tomorrow’s cabinet discussion on the proposed law against digital violence, eco is calling for effective protection for those affected – without overblocking or additional bureaucratic burdens for service providers. In particular, eco sees a need for further clarification regarding the interaction with the Digital Services Act, the proposed account suspension measures and the definition of new criminal offences. date 2026/10/06 press
Policy & Law eco on the Hearing on the Cybersecurity Act Following today’s hearing of the Committee on Internal Affairs on the Act to Strengthen Cybersecurity, eco – Association of the Internet Industry continues to see a considerable need for improvements. The planned interventions in IT systems and data traffic raise fundamental questions regarding proportionality, technical feasibility and oversight under the rule of law. Among other things, public authorities are to be able to redirect or record data traffic, delete or alter data in IT systems and intervene in domain name resolution. date 2026/10/06 press
Policy & Law New German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) Hennemann: eco Association anticipates clear impetus for modern data law eco Association welcomes Prof. Dr Moritz Hennemann as he takes office as German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI), facing important reforms in data protection supervision and data law. date 2026/09/30 press
Security eco IT Security Survey: Just Under a Third Report Tangible Impacts from Cyber Incidents – SMEs Need Support Companies are making progress in their handling of cyber incidents but remain under considerable pressure to adapt. This is shown by the eco Association’s new 2026 IT Security Survey. Just under a third of the IT decision-makers surveyed report incidents with tangible impacts over the past twelve months. date 2026/09/30 press
Policy & Law eco on the Hearing on Digital Investigative Powers: The Internet Must Not Become a Biometric Search Space Reliability of automated matches and evidential robustness remain unclear eco calls for fundamental revision of the draft acts Berlin, 21 September 2026 – On the occasion of today’s hearing of the Committee on Internal Affairs on the planned digital investigative powers, eco – Association of the Internet Industry... date 2026/09/21 press
Policy & Law eco on the EU Kids Act: “Child Protection Requires a Clear Direction in EU Law” eco is calling for clear responsibilities, a coherent legal framework and the avoidance of duplicate regulation wherever possible. The European Commission plans to officially present its draft “EU Kids Act” tomorrow, Thursday. Initial details of the planned EU rules to strengthen the protection of children are already available. date 2026/09/16 press
Policy & Law eco on the Prien Commission’s Closing Conference: No Patchwork Approach to Child Protection – Germany Must Back a European Solution With the expiry of the temporary derogation for voluntary chat monitoring on 3 April 2026, there is a risk of a legal gap arising in the European Union with regard to the voluntary detection of child sexual abuse material on the Internet. After the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament failed to agree on an extension of the derogation, pressure is mounting to find a swift and long-term solution for voluntary proactive measures by service providers as part of the trilogue negotiations on the CSAM Regulation. date 2026/09/09 press
Policy & Law eco Board Member on the Cyberattack Against Berlin: “The State Must Not Exempt Itself from Cybersecurity Requirements” The August cyberattack on parts of Berlin’s state administration network and the publication of the stolen data on 4 September demonstrate, in the view of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, how dangerous differing security standards for the public and private sectors can be. date 2026/09/08 press
Artificial Intelligence IW Study: €120 Billion in Revenue from AI-Powered Innovation – Germany’s Strength Lies in Industrial Applications A new study by IW Consult, commissioned by eco, shows that Germany’s strength as a business location stems from the combination of industry expertise, data and engineering expertise: AI-powered product innovations and new service offerings are already generating more than €120 billion in revenue. date 2026/09/07 press
Policy & Law eco Firmly Rejects SPD Proposal for an AI Tax: “AI must not put Germany at a competitive disadvantage” At its closed-door meeting today, the SPD parliamentary group in the German Bundestag intends to adopt new guidelines on the use of AI in the workplace. Among other things, it plans to impose higher taxes on productivity gains from AI and on large technology companies. date 2026/09/04 press
Policy & Law eco ahead of the cabinet retreat: removing barriers to investment in Germany eco is calling for concrete measures at the cabinet retreat to boost competitiveness and technological sovereignty – with better investment conditions for digital infrastructure, less bureaucracy and practical AI rules to unlock 96 billion Euro in value creation potential in industry. date 2026/08/21 press
Policy & Law BND Reform: Vulnerabilities Must Not Become a Tool for Intelligence Service Access eco has warned of new cyber risks arising from the BND reform and has criticised, in particular, the handling of vulnerabilities, the role of the BSI and the BND’s expanded powers to intervene within Germany. The association is calling for tighter legal limits and effective independent prior scrutiny – particularly in relation to automated and AI-supported measures. date 2026/08/12 press
Policy & Law Deepfakes: Majority Expect to Be Deceived by AI Manipulation 55 per cent believe they are likely to be deceived by deepfakes or other AI manipulation within the next five years 28 per cent expect damaging or abusive AI content to be created about them eco calls for clear rules, understandable labelling and better awareness-raising Berlin, 5 August 2026 – Fifty-five... date 2026/08/12 press
Security Eight Months of NIS2: Implementation Remains Challenging for Companies Eight months after NIS2 came into force, a recent eco survey reveals that implementation remains a challenge for many companies. Respondents identify documentation requirements, reporting processes, and risk analysis and management as the biggest hurdles. Ulrich Plate, an eco KRITIS expert, emphasises: “What’s crucial now is practical guidance and effective processes in day-to-day business operations.” date 2026/08/11 press
Policy & Law eco on Prien’s Plans for a National Social Media Law: No Temporary Regulatory Patchwork eco has warned against a German transitional regulation on the protection of minors on social media and is calling for uniform European guidelines based on the Digital Services Act. date 2026/08/11 press
Andreas Weiss eco 35 Years Since the First Website: The Starting Point for the Commercial Internet The launch of the first website on 6 August 1991 laid the foundations for today’s e-commerce, digital platforms and other business models. Today, digital platform and transaction models alone generate 40 per cent of the Internet industry’s revenue. date 2026/08/05 press
Credit: iStock / tsingha25 E-Mail 42 Years After Germany Received Its First Email: eco Association Says Companies Must Take Responsibility for Email Security A name, logo or plausible-looking sender address is not enough to reliably establish that an email really comes from a particular company. Nevertheless, 86 per cent of adults in Germany consider at least one of these visible features sufficient proof that an email can be trusted. date 2026/08/05 press
Policy & Law Transparency Obligations for Artificial Intelligence Commence Amid Regulatory Uncertainty From 2 August, new transparency obligations will apply to AI applications and AI-generated content. eco calls for clear technical standards and consistent implementation of the AI Act across Europe. date 2026/07/31 press
Policy & Law eco Is a Partner of the German “Wallet-Ready?! Initiative Against the backdrop of the upcoming introduction of European Digital Identity Wallets (EUDI wallets), leading associations, federations, institutions and subject matter experts in Germany have come together in the voluntary “Wallet-ready?! Initiative. date 2026/07/29 press
Policy & Law eco on the announced appointment of Gitta Connemann to the German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation Commenting on the announced appointment of Gitta Connemann as Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernisation, Alexander Rabe, Managing Director of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, stated: date 2026/07/28 press
Policy & Law eco Criticises France’s Social Media Ban: European Solutions Rather Than a National Patchwork eco notes with concern that, despite indications to the contrary last week, France has now become the first European country to introduce a general minimum age of 15 for the use of social media. date 2026/07/23 press
Policy & Law Only 13 Days Until They Apply: eco Warns Against Flying Blind on AI Transparency Obligations The European Commission has published its final guidelines on transparency obligations under the AI Act only 13 days before they come into application − far too late. Companies now have to analyse complex requirements, adapt internal processes and implement technical solutions within a very short period of time. date 2026/07/21 press
iStock.com/towfiqu ahamed Policy & Law European Solutions Instead of National Patchworks: eco Calls for Coherent Youth Media Protection The European Commission today published the final report of its expert group on the protection of minors in the digital environment. The report contains recommendations for the future design of the European legal framework, including a minimum age of 13 for the use of social media and risk-based, graduated access to digital services. date 2026/07/15 press
