Toggle navigation eco Press Releases Press Releases Press Center Press DownloadsPress TextPhotographsLogosStudiesAnnual Reports Law & Regulation eco on Planned Reform of the German Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG): “Social networks confronted anew with great legal uncertainty” eco Chair of the Board Oliver J. Süme assesses the current plans for an obligation to notify for the operators of social networks critically, seeing them as being insufficiently thought through. date 2019/12/06 press Law & Regulation eco on the Inauguration of the New EU Commission: “As a Digital Location, Europe Needs a Visionary Agenda” Following on from Ursula von der Leyen's election by the European Parliament as the future President of the European Commission in July 2019, the new EU Commission will now also start its work on 1 December. The European Commission now has the key task of shaping a rigorous digital policy for the digital future of us all. date 2019/12/02 press Law & Regulation eco and ISOC to Work Together for a Secure and Globally Connected Internet eco & the Internet Society sign Memorandum of Understanding at the IGF 2019. date 2019/11/25 press Datacenter White Paper: Utilization of Waste Heat in Data Centers White paper introduces successful concepts and talks through opportunities and challenges for data centers to operate more sustainably in future. date 2019/11/25 press eco The Winners of the 18th eco://awards Six visionary and innovative business models were honored by the eco Association as part of a festive awards ceremony, and the Special Award for Ladies in Tech was presented to Stefanie Kemp for her outstanding commitment to female business leaders in the Internet industry. date 2019/11/22 press Cloud Computing EuroCloud: 14.5 M Euro Data Protection Fine a Warning Shot for Cloud Companies On 05.11.2019, the Berlin Data Protection Supervisory Authority announced the imposition of a fine amounting to 14.5 M Euro.* It goes without saying that, for Germany, the size of this fine is sensational. date 2019/11/08 press Law & Regulation IGF 2019: eco Calls for a Dialogue on the Opportunities of the Internet for SMEs Germany is hosting the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) for the very first time this year, which will take place from 25 to 29 November 2019 in the Estrel Congress Center in Berlin. The eco Association will be on location, participating in high-level panel sessions and with a booth at the IGF Village. date 2019/11/01 press Cloud Computing GAIA-X: eco Supports the Design of a Sovereign European Data Infrastructure Digital sovereignty in the form of high-performance and secure digital infrastructures is a key success factor and decisive for the future viability of Germany as a business location. This is the opinion of the overwhelming majority (80 percent) of decision-makers in German companies, according to the results of a current representative survey commissioned by eco. date 2019/10/29 press Law & Regulation “Regulatory fantasies will put the brakes on digitalization” eco Comments Final Report of German Data Ethics Commission date 2019/10/23 press Blockchain eco on Blockchain Strategy: “German Federal Government Paves Way for Legally-Secure Foundational Technology of the Future” eco regards the German federal government's blockchain strategy, adopted today by the federal cabinet, as an important step for the foundational technology of the future. With its white paper "Blockchain for SMEs", eco presents a guideline for small and medium-sized enterprises wishing to implement blockchain projects in their own operations. date 2019/09/18 press Law & Regulation German Federal Government Publishes Take-Down Success for Online CSAM in 2018: Complaint Offices Are Indispensable The German Federal Government published an evaluation report on the deletion of online CSAM content for the year 2018 in September. In 2018, a total of 5,951 reports of child sexual abuse material were statistically recorded by the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), 82 percent of which were hosted abroad. date 2019/09/16 press © eco - Association of the Internet Industry Law & Regulation eco: European Court of Justice Issues a Rebuff to German Ancillary Copyright With today's decision, the EUCJ has declared German ancillary copyright law for press publishers to be inapplicable. The Court thus drew a line under the years of debate and numerous court proceedings. From the very outset, eco criticized German ancillary copyright, stating that, “Introducing ancillary copyright in Germany was a misguided political decision.” date 2019/09/12 press eco The Service-Meister Project is Successful in the BMWi AI Innovation Competition The eco Association will lead the consortium to develop Service-Meister. The Service-Meister Project has been chosen for sponsorship within the scope of the AI Innovation Competition of the German Federal Government. A panel of experts of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) has awarded funding to the industrial project, which is based on artificial intelligence (AI). date 2019/09/10 press Law & Regulation eco: Criticism of European Copyright Directive Continues Unabated The new copyright law remains controversial. The EU Member States Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland, and Sweden voted against the reform. Belgium, Estonia, and Slovenia abstained. In the end, Germany's approval was the decisive tip on the scales for the necessary majority. date 2019/09/10 press Security Two Factors for Secure Online Payments Strong authentication of customers for electronic payments obligatory from 14 September - the eco Association offers seven tips for secure two-factor authentication date 2019/09/09 press Law & Regulation eco Association: Rectify the Wi-Fi Act to Enable Germany to Catch Up Internationally eco participates in consultation on the 3rd Amendment of the German Telemedia Act, with the core message: Website blocking without judicial decisions causes legal uncertainty for Wi-Fi operators and impedes Germany's international competitiveness. date 2019/09/05 press IoT eco Association Smart Home Survey: Data Protection is Key to Acceptance As the IFA (the global innovations show) gets ready to open its doors in Berlin, an eco survey reveals that over a quarter of Germans are already using digital voice assistants. It also concludes: High data protection standards are key to the acceptance of AI. date 2019/09/05 press Law & Regulation “Digitalization as the Most Important Opportunity for SMEs” - eco Comments on New German Government SME Strategy The German Federal Economics Minister Altmaier has presented the cornerstones of his strategy for SMEs, “Valuing - Strengthening - Easing the Load”. The eco Association welcomes this strategy, whilst emphasizing that digital infrastructures are fundamental to the success of digital technologies and the future of SMEs. date 2019/08/30 press Blockchain eco White Paper “Blockchain in SMEs” Published Practical blockchain know-how for SMEs – 36-page white paper provides firsthand expert blockchain knowledge & application scenarios date 2019/08/19 press Security Internet Security Days 2019: Defend against Cyber Attacks with AI Artificial Intelligence (AI) finds anomalies autonomously and shows strategies to combat acute cyber attacks, and the combination of artificial and human intelligence improves the security level in companies. date 2019/08/13 press Law & Regulation eco Congratulates New EU Commission President: “Future EU Commission must decisively & systematically implement modern digital policy” Yesterday evening in Strasbourg, Ursula von der Leyen was elected as the new President of the European Commission by MEPs in the European Parliament. In the run-up to the vote, the President-elect of the Commission had already published her political agenda for Europe. date 2019/07/17 press eco eco:// kongress Cologne – Shape the Internet of the Future with Artificial Intelligence At the eco://kongress taking part on 21 November in Cologne, three focal topics will form the framework for the discussions taking place amongst the leading minds of the Internet industry: "Forward thinking for society"; "City, Country, Future"; and "Industry 4.0 with AI". date 2019/07/16 press IoT Digital Assistants Business Trend: Data Transparency and Good Education as the Key to AI Success An eco survey reveals that over a quarter of Germans are already using digital voice assistants. Meanwhile, high data protection standards are identified as being the key to the acceptance of AI technologies and services while, going forward, AI will need human intelligence for its own development. date 2019/07/12 press Cloud Computing Cloud First: Industry Coalition Provides Best Practice Guidance for Europe’s Public Procurers of Cloud Services A new handbook, launched in Brussels today and entitled "Buying Cloud Services in Public Sector", is designed to help public purchasers in Europe to shape more effective cloud procurement vehicles. date 2019/07/03 press Law & Regulation G20: eco and i2Coalition Call for Progress on Transatlantic Data Protection Agreement Following the G20 summit in Japan, a joint paper issued by the partner associations eco and i2Coalition emphasizes the importance of a new transatlantic data protection agreement. date 2019/07/01 press Law & Regulation eco: New EU Parliament Must Drive Forward the Digital Single Market The new EU Parliament will be formally constituted on 2 July. In this context, eco Chair Oliver Süme emphasizes how important a fast-track development of the Digital Single Market is for the new legislative term. date 2019/07/01 press Law & Regulation eco Presents the Digital Compass of the German Federal States Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, and North Rhine-Westphalia are the trailblazers in digital policy, this is one of the key findings of the first Digital Compass of the German Federal States, which eco – Association of the Internet Industry has now made available online (in German only). date 2019/06/27 press Events Game of IT Security: Agenda of the Internet Security Days 2019 Online Know-how for cyber security today and tomorrow – this will be conveyed by more than 30 experts at the Internet Security Days (ISDs) on 26 and 27 September 2019 in keynotes, security sessions, panel discussions, and workshops. date 2019/06/26 press © eco - Association of the Internet Industry Law & Regulation eco - Association of the Internet Industry: Board of Directors Confirmed in Office Oliver J. Süme will continue as Chair of the Board of eco – Association of the Internet Industry. The Hamburg-based lawyer and partner in the law firm Fieldfisher was unanimously re-elected on 18 June 2019 at the eco Annual General Meeting in Cologne, as were the other members of the Board, Klaus Landefeld, Felix Höger, and Professor Norbert Pohlmann. date 2019/06/19 press Law & Regulation 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 press
Law & Regulation eco on Planned Reform of the German Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG): “Social networks confronted anew with great legal uncertainty” eco Chair of the Board Oliver J. Süme assesses the current plans for an obligation to notify for the operators of social networks critically, seeing them as being insufficiently thought through. date 2019/12/06 press
Law & Regulation eco on the Inauguration of the New EU Commission: “As a Digital Location, Europe Needs a Visionary Agenda” Following on from Ursula von der Leyen's election by the European Parliament as the future President of the European Commission in July 2019, the new EU Commission will now also start its work on 1 December. The European Commission now has the key task of shaping a rigorous digital policy for the digital future of us all. date 2019/12/02 press
Law & Regulation eco and ISOC to Work Together for a Secure and Globally Connected Internet eco & the Internet Society sign Memorandum of Understanding at the IGF 2019. date 2019/11/25 press
Datacenter White Paper: Utilization of Waste Heat in Data Centers White paper introduces successful concepts and talks through opportunities and challenges for data centers to operate more sustainably in future. date 2019/11/25 press
eco The Winners of the 18th eco://awards Six visionary and innovative business models were honored by the eco Association as part of a festive awards ceremony, and the Special Award for Ladies in Tech was presented to Stefanie Kemp for her outstanding commitment to female business leaders in the Internet industry. date 2019/11/22 press
Cloud Computing EuroCloud: 14.5 M Euro Data Protection Fine a Warning Shot for Cloud Companies On 05.11.2019, the Berlin Data Protection Supervisory Authority announced the imposition of a fine amounting to 14.5 M Euro.* It goes without saying that, for Germany, the size of this fine is sensational. date 2019/11/08 press
Law & Regulation IGF 2019: eco Calls for a Dialogue on the Opportunities of the Internet for SMEs Germany is hosting the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) for the very first time this year, which will take place from 25 to 29 November 2019 in the Estrel Congress Center in Berlin. The eco Association will be on location, participating in high-level panel sessions and with a booth at the IGF Village. date 2019/11/01 press
Cloud Computing GAIA-X: eco Supports the Design of a Sovereign European Data Infrastructure Digital sovereignty in the form of high-performance and secure digital infrastructures is a key success factor and decisive for the future viability of Germany as a business location. This is the opinion of the overwhelming majority (80 percent) of decision-makers in German companies, according to the results of a current representative survey commissioned by eco. date 2019/10/29 press
Law & Regulation “Regulatory fantasies will put the brakes on digitalization” eco Comments Final Report of German Data Ethics Commission date 2019/10/23 press
Blockchain eco on Blockchain Strategy: “German Federal Government Paves Way for Legally-Secure Foundational Technology of the Future” eco regards the German federal government's blockchain strategy, adopted today by the federal cabinet, as an important step for the foundational technology of the future. With its white paper "Blockchain for SMEs", eco presents a guideline for small and medium-sized enterprises wishing to implement blockchain projects in their own operations. date 2019/09/18 press
Law & Regulation German Federal Government Publishes Take-Down Success for Online CSAM in 2018: Complaint Offices Are Indispensable The German Federal Government published an evaluation report on the deletion of online CSAM content for the year 2018 in September. In 2018, a total of 5,951 reports of child sexual abuse material were statistically recorded by the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), 82 percent of which were hosted abroad. date 2019/09/16 press
© eco - Association of the Internet Industry Law & Regulation eco: European Court of Justice Issues a Rebuff to German Ancillary Copyright With today's decision, the EUCJ has declared German ancillary copyright law for press publishers to be inapplicable. The Court thus drew a line under the years of debate and numerous court proceedings. From the very outset, eco criticized German ancillary copyright, stating that, “Introducing ancillary copyright in Germany was a misguided political decision.” date 2019/09/12 press
eco The Service-Meister Project is Successful in the BMWi AI Innovation Competition The eco Association will lead the consortium to develop Service-Meister. The Service-Meister Project has been chosen for sponsorship within the scope of the AI Innovation Competition of the German Federal Government. A panel of experts of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) has awarded funding to the industrial project, which is based on artificial intelligence (AI). date 2019/09/10 press
Law & Regulation eco: Criticism of European Copyright Directive Continues Unabated The new copyright law remains controversial. The EU Member States Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Finland, and Sweden voted against the reform. Belgium, Estonia, and Slovenia abstained. In the end, Germany's approval was the decisive tip on the scales for the necessary majority. date 2019/09/10 press
Security Two Factors for Secure Online Payments Strong authentication of customers for electronic payments obligatory from 14 September - the eco Association offers seven tips for secure two-factor authentication date 2019/09/09 press
Law & Regulation eco Association: Rectify the Wi-Fi Act to Enable Germany to Catch Up Internationally eco participates in consultation on the 3rd Amendment of the German Telemedia Act, with the core message: Website blocking without judicial decisions causes legal uncertainty for Wi-Fi operators and impedes Germany's international competitiveness. date 2019/09/05 press
IoT eco Association Smart Home Survey: Data Protection is Key to Acceptance As the IFA (the global innovations show) gets ready to open its doors in Berlin, an eco survey reveals that over a quarter of Germans are already using digital voice assistants. It also concludes: High data protection standards are key to the acceptance of AI. date 2019/09/05 press
Law & Regulation “Digitalization as the Most Important Opportunity for SMEs” - eco Comments on New German Government SME Strategy The German Federal Economics Minister Altmaier has presented the cornerstones of his strategy for SMEs, “Valuing - Strengthening - Easing the Load”. The eco Association welcomes this strategy, whilst emphasizing that digital infrastructures are fundamental to the success of digital technologies and the future of SMEs. date 2019/08/30 press
Blockchain eco White Paper “Blockchain in SMEs” Published Practical blockchain know-how for SMEs – 36-page white paper provides firsthand expert blockchain knowledge & application scenarios date 2019/08/19 press
Security Internet Security Days 2019: Defend against Cyber Attacks with AI Artificial Intelligence (AI) finds anomalies autonomously and shows strategies to combat acute cyber attacks, and the combination of artificial and human intelligence improves the security level in companies. date 2019/08/13 press
Law & Regulation eco Congratulates New EU Commission President: “Future EU Commission must decisively & systematically implement modern digital policy” Yesterday evening in Strasbourg, Ursula von der Leyen was elected as the new President of the European Commission by MEPs in the European Parliament. In the run-up to the vote, the President-elect of the Commission had already published her political agenda for Europe. date 2019/07/17 press
eco eco:// kongress Cologne – Shape the Internet of the Future with Artificial Intelligence At the eco://kongress taking part on 21 November in Cologne, three focal topics will form the framework for the discussions taking place amongst the leading minds of the Internet industry: "Forward thinking for society"; "City, Country, Future"; and "Industry 4.0 with AI". date 2019/07/16 press
IoT Digital Assistants Business Trend: Data Transparency and Good Education as the Key to AI Success An eco survey reveals that over a quarter of Germans are already using digital voice assistants. Meanwhile, high data protection standards are identified as being the key to the acceptance of AI technologies and services while, going forward, AI will need human intelligence for its own development. date 2019/07/12 press
Cloud Computing Cloud First: Industry Coalition Provides Best Practice Guidance for Europe’s Public Procurers of Cloud Services A new handbook, launched in Brussels today and entitled "Buying Cloud Services in Public Sector", is designed to help public purchasers in Europe to shape more effective cloud procurement vehicles. date 2019/07/03 press
Law & Regulation G20: eco and i2Coalition Call for Progress on Transatlantic Data Protection Agreement Following the G20 summit in Japan, a joint paper issued by the partner associations eco and i2Coalition emphasizes the importance of a new transatlantic data protection agreement. date 2019/07/01 press
Law & Regulation eco: New EU Parliament Must Drive Forward the Digital Single Market The new EU Parliament will be formally constituted on 2 July. In this context, eco Chair Oliver Süme emphasizes how important a fast-track development of the Digital Single Market is for the new legislative term. date 2019/07/01 press
Law & Regulation eco Presents the Digital Compass of the German Federal States Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, and North Rhine-Westphalia are the trailblazers in digital policy, this is one of the key findings of the first Digital Compass of the German Federal States, which eco – Association of the Internet Industry has now made available online (in German only). date 2019/06/27 press
Events Game of IT Security: Agenda of the Internet Security Days 2019 Online Know-how for cyber security today and tomorrow – this will be conveyed by more than 30 experts at the Internet Security Days (ISDs) on 26 and 27 September 2019 in keynotes, security sessions, panel discussions, and workshops. date 2019/06/26 press
© eco - Association of the Internet Industry Law & Regulation eco - Association of the Internet Industry: Board of Directors Confirmed in Office Oliver J. Süme will continue as Chair of the Board of eco – Association of the Internet Industry. The Hamburg-based lawyer and partner in the law firm Fieldfisher was unanimously re-elected on 18 June 2019 at the eco Annual General Meeting in Cologne, as were the other members of the Board, Klaus Landefeld, Felix Höger, and Professor Norbert Pohlmann. date 2019/06/19 press
Law & Regulation 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 press
