On 10 September, the Internet Governance Forum Germany (IGF-D) met in Berlin to discuss current issues and developments in the governance and regulation of the internet. Under this year's motto, ‘Trust, Responsibility, Networking: Internet Governance in Uncertain Times,’ representatives from the fields of politics, business, technology, civil society, science and research, as well as youth, met in their national structure (NRI)to reflect on relevant aspects from a German perspective.
Topics at IGF-D 2025 included the impact of geopolitical conflicts and their effects on existing digital infrastructure, socio-political challenges in expanding and further developing these structures, e.g. with regard to resource consumption and resilience, upholding the rule of law in the face of new technologies and (state) actors that do not prioritise democratic principles, the legalisation of detecting and reporting security vulnerabilities (ethical hacking), and measures to increase security in the domain name system.
In the afternoon of the conference day, the legal concept of personal integrity was discussed. Kathrin Morasch (Baden-Württemberg State Media Authority), Michael Terhörst (Federal Office for the Enforcement of Children's Rights in Digital Services (KidD)) and Grit Lange (netzforma* e.V.) spoke with Torsten Krause (Digital Opportunities Foundation) about whether and how the protection of personal integrity is achieved in Germany. Michael Terhörst referred to the provisions of the German Youth Protection Act on precautionary measures, as well as to Article 28(1) of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which obliges providers to ‘ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security of minors within their service’. The guidelines in accordance with Article 28(4) DSA offer providers practical suggestions and assistance for implementing this legal requirement.
Kathrin Morasch reported on the protection of personal integrity from the perspective of the state media authorities. She described existing reporting procedures that users of digital services can use to report violations and offences, while also emphasising that the authorities are proactive and use artificial intelligence to independently identify possible violations of legal principles so that they can take action against them. From a feminist perspective, Grit Lange, referring to examples of digital violence, suggested that the legal concept of personal integrity should be considered beyond the protection of children and young people in the media, as attacks on personal data or its use to cause harm or abuse to individuals also occur frequently in the adult world. Furthermore, she argued that the concept should not be solely defensive in nature, with the focus on protection. Rather, she also sees self-determination, including with regard to the development and expression of sexuality in the digital environment, as being linked to the concept. Taking this up, Torsten Krause asked all those present to consider whether and how the concept of personal integrity could also be relevant in their areas of work and expertise, and informed them that this protection objective under the Youth Protection Act would most likely also be included in the State Treaty on the Protection of Minors in the Media.