Berlin, 9 September 2026
The 17th Internet Governance Forum Germany (IGF-D) begins today in Berlin. Under the theme ‘Freedom and Responsibility in a Connected World’, representatives from business, academia, civil society, government, parliament, youth organisations and the technical community will discuss the key decisions shaping the digital future. The event is taking place at the Auditorium Friedrichstraße in Berlin and online.
The programme includes, amongst other things:
- A new era of surveillance – AI, data markets & the convergence of state and commercial control?: How are AI, data markets and security legislation changing the relationship between state and commercial control – and what does this mean for democracy and the rule of law?
- The Digital Networks Act (DNA): What is the best way to establish a resilient, secure and high-performance digital infrastructure, whilst fostering a spirit of innovation? How can the DNA promote innovation, interoperability and regulatory coherence without undermining cyber security and resilience?
- EU regulation: Two steps forward, one step back: What can the Digital Omnibus actually achieve – and why do European regulatory initiatives sometimes fail to achieve their intended objectives?
- First tell me how old you are… Online age verification: balancing the protection and participation needs of all: How can the protection of minors in the media and the EUDI Wallet be reconciled with data protection and anonymity?
Since the end of 2022, DENIC has been running the IGF-D secretariat and acts as the main sponsor of the annual IGF-D event.
“A free and open Internet does not come about by itself – it requires continuous dialogue and cooperation between everyone who shapes and uses the Internet. As part of the technical community, DENIC has been actively involved in the Internet Governance Forum since 2008 and is convinced that multistakeholderism is a key prerequisite for ensuring that the Internet remains open, secure and globally accessible. The IGF-D provides an important forum for this in Germany too, bringing together different perspectives and creating space for open discussion about the future of the Internet. That is why we support the IGF-D as a main sponsor and have been running its secretariat since the end of 2022. In doing so, we aim to play our part in ensuring that this dialogue remains vibrant at a national level and generates concrete impetus for shaping the Internet.”, said Tom Keller, Member of the Executive Board, DENIC eG.
The full programme is available at https://igf-d.de/igf-d-2026/.
