Connected cars and autonomous driving will make traffic flows more efficient and safer, but the prerequisite for the development is edge computing and intelligent freeways.

The Network Enforcement Act (German: Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz - NetzDG) is and will remain a superfluous law and a threat to freedom of expression in the Internet. Oliver Süme, Chairman of the eco Board and Director of eco Policy, Law & Regulations, concludes this on the basis of of the transparency reports recently published by the affected Internet platforms.

In the smart city, the energy market segment in Germany is growing by 19.9 percent per year. So, what are the particular factors that are boosting revenues? Smart meters, a trend towards electromobility, and e-filling stations.

“The Gigabit Society must become a reality by 2025. To achieve this, we need the digital cabinet to adopt a concerted strategy for the expansion of all networks, because the clock is ticking loudly".

eco urges the German federal government to adopt a constructive approach to ethical questions regarding AI and digitalization and stresses that a perfectly functioning ecosystem of hardware and key software technologies provides the ideal basis for secure and trustworthy AI applications.  

The BMVI has just published its new funding policy for Germany’s broadband development program. From the point of view of eco, the reconfiguration of the funding program is an important, but by no means major, step on the road to implementing gigabit networks. An urgent need for action nonetheless remains.

"The EU has taken the opportunity today to maintain the open and decentralized structure of the Internet. This is a victory for freedom of expression on the Internet."

In considering the final declaration of last week’s EU summit, eco – Association of the Internet Industry cautions once again against the legal introduction of upload filters in Europe.

The German Bundestag has established a Commission of Inquiry to clarify ethical questions regarding Artificial Intelligence. eco welcomes the decision and hopes that the commission recognizes the opportunities and potential of AI.

The City of Hamburg, as joint hosts with the eco Association and DENIC, to welcome the international Internet community for the 2020 conference and AGM of ICANN, the global coordinator of domain name administration.

The World Cup viewing really goes to show just how strongly the demands on digital infrastructures in Germany are growing, but fiber optic expansion in South Korea far further along than in Germany.

The GDPR has far-reaching effects on the Connected Car. At CONCAR-EXPO 2018, the eco Association looks at data protection for automotive & mobility sectors.

The EU Parliament’s legal affairs committee (JURI) has today voted on the planned copyright reform, and is following the Council of Ministers, which in May presented a joint proposal of the EU Member States as a basis for negotiation on the reform.

The Internet as a retail path for goods of all kinds is growing strongly, but at the same time, returns present online retailers with challenges. A new study, however, has found that consumers are only making moderate use of their right to return articles and that returned articles are almost all resold.

On 20 June, the JURI Committee of the European Parliament will vote on the Copyright Directive, setting the course for the final negotiations in the trilogue with the Commission and the Council.

In the course of consultations for the introduction of model declaratory action, the German Bundestag has also come to an agreement on a resolution on “cease-and-desist” letters.

New study demonstrates poor political framework conditions for operators of digital infrastructures in Germany - Considering their economic importance for Germany, the operators of digital infrastructure here are currently afforded no adequate political support or subsidization.

In a letter to the EU Commission made public yesterday, the Ministers of the Interior of Germany and France called for legislation to combat terrorist propaganda on online platforms. For Oliver Süme, Chair of eco – Association of the Internet Industry, the proposal for such legislation is inexplicable.

The city of the future will be connected and smart. Increased investment in IT security and network infrastructure are important growth drivers for the smart city. The “Communication Services & Network Security” segment alone is therefore forecast to grow by an average of more than 13 percent over the next five years; in 2017, revenues in this area amounted to around 3.5 billion Euro in Germany. “Secure and fast network connections are an integral component of the cities of tomorrow,” says Markus Schaffrin, security expert and Head of Member Services at eco – Association of the Internet Industry. “They make it possible to protect existing infrastructure effectively against cyber attacks and ensure stable and cost-effective data traffic.”

Today, the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enters into force in order to strengthen the legal rights of European citizens to have their personal data protected. For companies, it means that they have to adhere to stricter requirements when it comes to customer data and its further processing.

With the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into effect on 25 May, it is now more important than ever to fulfill high quality standards in email marketing. Exactly what are the new legal and technical stipulations that senders need to fulfill? This was the subject of discussion for around 140 international experts at the CSA Summit 2018 in Frankfurt.

In considering the best response to the "Efail" security vulnerability, the eco Association recommends workaround until updates are installed and advises that, “No encryption is also no solution.”

Blockchain technology will have a decisive impact on the future of the mega-trend digitalization: this was a key message of the Blockchain Masters 2018 in Hamburg. Blockchain is regarded as offering massive potential for supporting transparent supply chains and public administration.

The EU Commission's proposal on platform regulation for commercial business is regarded by the eco Association as representing an encroachment on contractual freedom and as introducing unequal treatment for platform operators and search engine providers.

Whereas the Internet industry offers very good career opportunities for women, the industry's workforce is still predominantly male. On the occasion of Girls' Day in Germany, Lucia Falkenberg, CPO of eco and Leader of the eco Competence Group New Work, talks about the benefits to companies of hiring female specialists and the importance to the industry of having female role models.

70 per cent of German companies would like public authorities to offer the option of exchanging data via blockchain: That is the main finding of a survey undertaken amongst companies by eco and YouGov. Effectively, the business sector in Germany are looking to administrative authorities to act as blockchain pioneers.

An open letter issued by a broad alliance of stakeholders calls for a move away from plans to introduce a European ancillary copyright law for press publishers. The signatories of the letter, who include representatives of quality media, argue that the ancillary copyright law is absolutely unnecessary for press publishers and completely contradicts the basic idea of free access to opinions and information on the Internet.

A key ruling made by the Administrative Court of Cologne on a suit taken by SpaceNet AG and supported by the eco Association has determined that blanket data retention infringes fundamental European rights.

The European Commission today presented a concrete proposal on how law enforcement authorities could in future gain cross-border access to electronic evidence (“e-evidence”). According to the proposal, requests should as a rule be answered within 10 days, and in an emergency situation within six hours.

While marketing decision-makers are working towards meeting the requirements of the GDPR before May, only 13 percent of companies in Germany see themselves as being legally on the safe side.