Building Trust & Mitigating Abuse – Call for Contributions

Digital services and technologies are increasingly helping to tackle pressing societal challenges and to build the digital society that we'd like to live in. At the same time, digitalization can admittedly also bring downsides. It isn't always enough to be well-intentioned: for example, operators of networks, DNS infrastructure, hosting environments, mailboxes, and media platforms can be abused for nefarious purposes. There are also regular fears concerning issues such as data privacy, mental health, skills for the future, and the impact on vulnerable members of society. We therefore need to work together as an industry to achieve trustworthy systems. The purpose of this issue is to bring together stories of the colorful world of building trust and mitigating threats and abuse.

For the issue on “Building Trust & Mitigating Abuse” in September/October 2023, dotmagazine welcomes articles from members, partners, and customers of the eco Association/DE-CIX Group that showcase how the digital society and digital economy of today and tomorrow can be protected so that it can thrive.

Submissions date for Part 1: 30 August 2023

Submissions date for Part 2: 27 September 2023

Contributions can take the form of:

• Articles offering advice or tips & tricks
• Case studies
• Interviews

Topic areas

Creating the digital society we want to live in, for example:

• Data protection & privacy
• Digital identity
• Self-regulation
• Trust-oriented workplace culture
• Making digital space safe for all
• Intertwining digitalization and sustainability
• Diversity and inclusion

Standardization & quality assurance, for example:

• AI, IoT, Smart X, Connected Car, etc. - Developing safe, ethical & transparent services
• Security, encryption & authentication - Keeping digital services safe
• Certifications for trusted digital services

Secure, reliable & resilient digital infrastructure

• Providing a safe environment for users and data
• Ensuring data availability
• Shared infrastructure
• Redundancy and resilient connectivity

Best practices from Abuse Departments & Help Desks, for example:

• How to detect, monitor and fight abusive behavior online
• Preventing DDoS and other network abuse
• Who can do what? The variety of options that different Internet intermediaries have at hand
• First lines of defence at the technical level: Filters, Allow-/Blocklists, DKIM, SPF, DNSSEC, etc. How do they work?

Mitigating DNS Abuse, e.g. Malware, Botnets, Phishing, Pharming Spam:

• How to improve brand protection & handle copyright Infringements
• Best practices

Abusive content – dealing with the content and dealing with the perpetrators

• Hate Speech, CSAM – what options do networks have for dealing with undesirable content
• Take-down vs. Blocking
• Defining legality & prosecuting in a global Internet with local & regional jurisdictions

You have a related burning topic that doesn’t fit into the categories above? Talk to us! dotmagazine@eco.de

Please note: your contribution should not be too technical – the focus should be more on the strategic level.

• Given that the goal of the eco Association – as publisher of dotmagazine – is the responsible shaping of the Internet, promoting diversity is in our deepest interest. To boost the profile of women in the Internet industry, we are particularly keen to have the voices of women heard in our industry insights. We therefore especially welcome articles, quotes, and case studies which are (co-)written by, feature or quote Women in Tech.
• For information on dotmagazine style requirements, please see the eco Guidelines for Contributors. By submitting a contribution to dotmagazine, you agree to these guidelines.
• For the purposes of planning, please contact dotmagazine@eco.de before submitting a contribution.
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