Economic growth, social development and climate action are heavily dependent on investments in infrastructure, sustainable industrial development and technological progress. In the face of a rapidly changing global economic landscape and increasing inequalities, sustained growth must include industrialization that first of all, makes opportunities accessible to all people, and second, is supported by innovation and resilient infrastructure.

The plumbing for the metaverse is rapidly being installed, but will its users be protected? Look J.P. Morgan's view on the elements of a new digital age. The metaverse is the driving force bringing these elements together in a unified, immersive experience

We are taking from strangers and we are having each other on distance: 'connection makes the measure' and an impuls was introduced to react fast. Anyway, there is a difference between conversation and connection and some day we might not know how to make conversation.

Over the past years, European institutions have worked intensively on a new EU Digital Policy Framework that must address new regulatory challenges from digitisation, changing market dynamics and the role of powerful technology providers. The Digital Services Act (DSA), the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the proposed Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA), the proposed Data Act (DA), the proposed Platform Workers Directive and other ground-breaking regulations must address these challenges and create the conditions for effective oversight, public accountability and the protection and realisation of shared values and fundamental rights.

(Journal of European Consumer and Market Law, I/2024, 15 Februari 2024, Volume 13 pages 1- 60)

It is in this context and because of the fact that online social networking sites, search engines etc. deal with private matters with a low degree of respect, that the EU has drawn up GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). GDPR replaces the Data Protection Directive 95/46 / EC and was designed to harmonize data privacy laws across Europe, to protect and empower all data privacy and data protection policies. The key articles of the GDPR, as well as information on its business impact, can be found throughout the website https://gdpr.eu/.

The 1st Hague Summit explored safeguarding the role of the Internet as a tool for personal and social engagement. Delegates at the Summit worked on increasing access to knowledge, transparency, global common understanding, evidence-based trust and accountability.

The second Summit (November 2019), represented a global multi-stakeholder community from national and local governments, international policy makers and institutes, NGOs, civil society, the ICT industry and platforms, as well as other relevant organizations. This gathering focused on Accountability in the Digital Age in the areas:

• (Social) Media & Journalism; Artificial Intelligence and
• Cyber Security & Cyber Peace.

The conclusions and recommendations will contribute to shaping global thinking and policy about accountability in the digital age. To work on countering fraud, identity theft, bullying and other forms of personal harassment or exploitation through to malign social engineering, phishing and hacking attacks which can threaten key networks and even entire nations, the Institute for Accountability in the Digital Age (@ada_i4) pursue its objectives by building ongoing dialogue, both structured and informal, among participants in the internet environment.

By building and maintaining a network at national and international level bringing together stakeholders and organizing activities, meetings and congresses to highlight, support and facilitate accountability nationally and internationally. Some questionings and statements:

a new way of storing and accessing information, a public register of transactions. The Blockchain can work with types of digitalcurrency and processes..
It is a distributed database that maintains a continuously-growing list of ordered records called blocks. Each block contains a timestamp (*) and a link to a previous block. The data in a block cannot be altered retrospectively. Blockchains are secure by design and an example of a distributed computing system with high byzantine fault tolerance.

Blockchains are secure by design and an example of a distributed computing system with high byzantine fault tolerance. Decentralised consensus can therefore be achieved with a blockchain. This makes blockchains suitable for the recording of events, title, medical records and other records management activities, identity management, transaction processing and proving provenance. This offers the potential of mass disintermediation and vast repercussions for how global trade is conducted. The first blockchain was conceptualised by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008 and implemented the following year as a core component of the digital currency bitcoin, where it serves as the public ledger for all transactions. Through the use of a peer-to-peer network and a distributed timestamping server, a blockchain database is managed autonomously. The invention of the blockchain for bitcoin made it the first digital currency to solve the double spending problem, without the use of a trusted authority or central server. The bitcoin design has been the inspiration for other applications.

Blockchain is the foundation for the second era of the internet – an internet of value, where anything of value, including money, our identities, cultural assets like music, and even a vote can be stored, managed, transacted, and moved in a secure, private way. Blockchains and tokens can play a crucial role in the infrastructure layer of our digital economy and is poised to transform every industry and managerial function —redefining the way we make transactions, share ideas, and manage workflow. They offer an alternative to the current practice in which important parts of the information and communication infrastructure are proprietary: owned by corporates, governmental organizations, unicorns and (aspiring) startups. This infrastructure works much better in our globalized, interconnected society when it is “commonized”, i.e. when it becomes part of the digital commons. A commonized infrastructure provides a completely new level playing field for creating and delivering added value and thus for private companies to compete and flourish.

A Digital Single Market for Europe: Commission sets out 16 initiatives to make it happen
Brussels, 06 May 2015

The Internet and digital technologies are transforming our world – in every walk of life and in every line of business. Europe must embrace the digital revolution and open up digital opportunities for people and businesses. How? By using the power of the EU's Single Market. Today, the European Commission unveiled its detailed plans to create a Digital Single Market, thereby delivering on one of its top priorities.At present, barriers online mean citizens miss out on goods and services: only 15% shop online from another EU country; Internet companies and start-ups cannot take full advantage of growth opportunities online: only 7% of SMEs sell cross-border (see Factsheet for more figures). Finally, businesses and governments are not fully benefitting from digital tools. The aim of the Digital Single Market is to tear down regulatory walls and finally move from 28 national markets to a single one. A fully functional Digital Single Market could contribute €415 billion per year to our economy and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.The Digital Single Market Strategy adopted today includes a set of targeted actions to be delivered by the end of next year (see Annex). It is built on three pillars: (1) better access for consumers and businesses to digital goods and services across Europe; (2) creating the right conditions and a level playing field for digital networks and innovative services to flourish; (3) maximising the growth potential of the digital economy.Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: "Today, we lay the groundwork for Europe’s digital future. I want to see pan-continental telecoms networks, digital services that cross borders and a wave of innovative European start-ups. I want to see every consumer getting the best deals and every business accessing the widest market – wherever they are in Europe. Exactly a year ago, I promised to make a fully Digital Single Market one of my top priorities. Today, we are making good on that promise. The 16 steps of our Digital Single Market Strategy will help make the Single Market fit for a digital age."

Vice-President for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip said: "Our Strategy is an ambitious and necessary programme of initiatives that target areas where the EU can make a real difference. They prepare Europe to reap the benefits of a digital future. They will give people and companies the online freedoms to profit fully from Europe's huge internal market. The initiatives are inter-linked and reinforce each other. They must be delivered quickly to better help to create jobs and growth. The Strategy is our starting point, not the finishing line."

The Digital Single Market Strategy sets out 16 key actions under 3 pillars which the Commission will deliver by the end of 2016:

Pillar I: Better access for consumers and businesses to digital goods and services across Europe

The Commission will propose:1. rules to make cross-border e-commerce easier. This includes harmonised EU rules on contracts and consumer protection when you buy online: whether it is physical goods like shoes or furniture; or digital content like e-books or apps. Consumers are set to benefit from a wider range of rights and offers, while businesses will more easily sell to other EU countries. This will boost confidence to shop and sell across borders (see Factsheet for facts & figures).2. to enforce consumer rules more rapidly and consistently,by reviewing the Regulation on Consumer Protection Cooperation.3. more efficient and affordable parcel delivery. Currently 62% of companies trying to sell online say that too-high parcel delivery costs are a barrier (see the newly released Eurobarometer on e-commerce).4. to end unjustified geo-blocking – a discriminatory practice used for commercial reasons, when online sellers either deny consumers access to a website based on their location, or re-route them to a local store with different prices. Such blocking means that, for example, car rental customers in one particular Member State may end up paying more for an identical car rental in the same destination.5. to identify potential competition concerns affecting European e-commerce markets. The Commission therefore launched today an antitrust competition inquiry into the e-commerce sector in the European Union (press release).

6. a modern, more European copyright law: legislative proposals will follow before the end of 2015 to reduce the differences between national copyright regimes and allow for wider online access to works across the EU, including through further harmonisation measures.

7. a review of the Satellite and Cable Directive to assess if its scope needs to be enlarged to broadcasters' online transmissions and to explore how to boost cross-border access to broadcasters' services in Europe.

8. to reduce the administrative burden businesses face from different VAT regimes: so that sellers of physical goods to other countries also benefit from single electronic registration and payment; and with a common VAT threshold to help smaller start-ups selling online.

Pillar II: Creating the right conditions and a level playing field for digital networks and innovative services to flourish

The Commission will:

9. present an ambitious overhaul of EU telecoms rules. This includes more effective spectrum coordination, and common EU-wide criteria for spectrum assignment at national level; creating incentives for investment in high-speed broadband; ensuring a level playing field for all market players, traditional and new; and creating an effective institutional framework.

10. review the audiovisual media framework to make it fit for the 21st century, focusing on the roles of the different market players in the promotion of European works (TV broadcasters, on-demand audiovisual service providers, etc.). It will as well look at how to adapt existing rules (the Audiovisual Media Services Directive) to new business models for content distribution.

11. comprehensively analyse the role of online platforms (search engines, social media, app stores, etc.) in the market. This will cover issues such as the non-transparency of search results and of pricing policies, how they use the information they acquire, relationships between platforms and suppliers and the promotion of their own services to the disadvantage of competitors – to the extent these are not already covered by competition law. It will also look into how to best tackle illegal content on the Internet.

13. propose a partnership with the industry on cybersecurity in the area of technologies and solutions for online network security.

Pillar III: Maximising the growth potential of the digital economy

The Commission will:14. propose a 'European free flow of data initiative' topromote the free movement of data in the European Union. Sometimes new services are hampered by restrictions on where data is located or on data access – restrictions which often do not have anything to do with protecting personal data. This new initiative will tackle those restrictions and so encourage innovation. The Commission will also launch a European Cloud initiative covering certification of cloud services, the switching of cloud service providers and a "research cloud".15. define priorities for standards and interoperability in areas critical to the Digital Single Market, such as e-health, transport planning or energy (smart metering).16. support an inclusive digital society where citizens have the right skills to seize the opportunities of the Internet and boost their chances of getting a job. A new e-government action plan will also connect business registers across Europe, ensure different national systems can work with each other, and ensure businesses and citizens only have to communicate their data once to public administrations, that means governments no longer making multiple requests for the same information when they can use the information they already have. This "only once" initiative will cut red tape and potentially save around €5 billion per year by 2017. The roll-out of e-procurement and interoperable e-signatures will be accelerated.

Next steps:

The Digital Single Market project team will deliver on these different actions by the end of 2016. With the backing of the European Parliament and the Council, the Digital Single Market should be completed as soon as possible. The Digital Single Market will be on the agenda of the European Council meeting on 25-26 June.