A familiar picture: at the end of a customer meeting, the partners exchange their business cards. Both of them later enter the data contained on them into their respective customer databases, but they have already violated the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) several times. At least if you take the wording of the law at its word. This is because the GDPR is primarily intended to create 'more data transparency'. Every partner would therefore have to be informed immediately about which personal business card data is processed and how, and which rights of objection this person has in the course of data processing.

How these information obligations are to be fulfilled is described in particular in Articles 13 and 14 of the GDPR. It also states that this information must be provided immediately. So if two people hand over their business cards to each other, for example at a trade fair, then both would have to inform each other about the reciprocal handling of the data in accordance with Art. 13 GDPR. However, a short sentence is by no means sufficient for this; the required data protection information would barely fit on an A4 page. In reality, compliance with the GDPR would therefore be more like a slapstick act, with both parties 'texting' each other for pages on end. It would also be far removed from reality to hand the other person a piece of paper with data protection information when handing over business cards. Combined with the request to confirm this in writing. Especially as this would pose a problem in terms of subsequent verifiability.

In view of the impracticability of the GDPR, politicians are already fiddling around, and not just on this point. A spokesperson for the Berlin supervisory authority said that the mere "receipt of the business card does not in itself trigger an obligation to provide information". This 'duty to inform' would only arise in cases where the data contained on the card is stored. Although this would make things easier, it would still contradict the intention of why business cards are exchanged in the first place. Companies store the data from business cards handed over in their customer data management program so that they can expand their own partner network in the business interests of both sides. Quite apart from this, the supervisory authority also fails to state the legal basis on which it arrived at its unusual opinion. This is because the statement by the above-mentioned employee contradicts the wording of the regulation. In other words, the GDPR is still in conflict with reality in many respects.

Bitkom Managing Director Dehmel recommends informing every person who has handed over a business card promptly afterwards about the mandatory information in accordance with Art. 13 GDPR in order to offer them the opportunity to object to the data processing at a later date. Such a solution would still contradict the direct wording of the law, but at least it seems more 'practicable'. What the GDPR lacks above all, however, are concrete and legally certain statements and assistance from the supervisory authorities. The GDPR urgently needs practical 'implementing provisions'.

The opportunity to generate money online is in the hands of every computer user every day. Twenty years ago, nobody would have thought that a single click of the mouse would one day become the most important key figure on the Internet. The mouse click as a navigator not only guides users through the vast space of the Internet, it has also become the universally accepted 'currency' in e-commerce, because on the one hand it at least signals 'interest', and on the other hand it even enables purchases to be made. Almost every interface on the Internet is now operated intuitively with the mouse. This will continue to be the case until the further development of speech recognition software could even relieve us of this tedious manual work ...

It is not without reason that the CPU is considered the 'heart' of every computer. This central processing unit (CPU) - or central processing unit (CPU) - is a miniaturized computing chip that can process defined computing tasks ('algorithms') due to its 'architecture' of semiconductors (or 'transistors'). Today, CPUs are not only found in computers, but also, for example, in washing machines, TV sets, cars and ticket machines.

The main components of such a computing core (or processor) are 'modules' that perform different tasks. At the center is always the arithmetic-logic unit (ALU). There is also the control unit, which primarily monitors the addresses, as well as several registers and a memory manager (memory management unit or MMU). Co-processors support the central unit in its tasks as 'service providers' - for example, by taking over computationally intensive floating point operations.

Modern CPUs are designed as multi-core units, which supports parallel processing and speed when solving tasks. Data lines ('buses') enable communication with other components of the computing system, in particular with the main memory. The 'caches' (intermediate memory) enable rapid further processing of partial results.

The choice of CPUs used in a company should be based on the tasks to be performed. The most expensive solution is by no means always the best or most efficient.

The WhatsApp messenger service is not compatible with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It should therefore not be used in the workplace. In the words of the Lower Saxony State Office for Data Protection: "The LfD Lower Saxony has already publicly emphasized several times that the use of WhatsApp by companies for business communication violates the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)."

The main reason for the infringement is the technical process used by Facebook subsidiary WhatsApp Inc. in California. A user registers there with their mobile phone number and the messenger service then reads the address book of users on their smartphones unnoticed. Ostensibly to locate other WhatsApp users. This comparison is repeated at regular intervals.

Despite all the data collection mania, the company is trying to keep a 'lean foot' on its own shoulders: Users alone are responsible for the legality of data transmission. In the event of a case, the criminal provisions of the GDPR would then also apply to the users alone. According to its 'Privacy Policy', WhatsApp also uses the data obtained for its own purposes: The company reserves the right to make extensive use of the information collected, for example for "measurement, analysis and other company services". In addition, WhatsApp generally shares information with other Facebook companies.

The conclusion of the German data protection experts: "The transmission of contact data from the address book to WhatsApp is regularly inadmissible." To make matters worse, possible sanctions under the GDPR would only affect the company that allowed the use of WhatsApp in its area of responsibility.

The advice to companies and organizations can therefore only be this: Ban the use of WhatsApp at all operational levels.

Compared to the German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG), the GDPR brings little that is new in terms of 'data subject rights' - with the exception of the right to data portability. However, it often specifies the vague requirements of the BDSG considerably. The new data subject rights in detail:

1. The obligation to provide information (Art. 13 and 14 GDPR): This already exists in principle in the BDSG. However, it is no longer sufficient to simply state the identity of a data controller. In future, it will also be mandatory to provide contact details for both the processor and the responsible data protection officer. The legal basis on which data is collected and the intended duration of storage must also be stated. The biggest innovation is probably the fact that information must be provided unsolicited about every data transfer to a third country or an international organization. It must also be possible to withdraw consent at any time.

2. The right of access (Art. 15 GDPR): Every data provider has the right to know whether their personal data is being processed and to whom it is being forwarded. This corresponds roughly to Section 34 BDSG. However, the GDPR extends the scope of information. In principle, the duration of storage, the purpose of use and the origin of the data must be stated. The person whose data has been collected has the right to rectification, erasure and complaint. All information must be provided free of charge (Art. 12 para. 5 GDPR).

3. The 'right to be forgotten' (Art. 17 para. 2 GDPR): Individuals whose data has been collected can request the erasure of their data, unless statutory retention periods apply (e.g. in criminal records). It is not yet clear whether data collectors must also enforce erasure with the subsequent institutions to which data has been forwarded - or whether there is only an obligation to inform them of the request.

4. The right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR): This is a provision that the BDSG was previously unaware of. Data collectors must make their collected data available to the data subject on request in a 'structured, commonly used and machine-readable format'. This paragraph is primarily aimed at 'social networks'. Anyone who wants to switch from Facebook to another provider, for example, must receive their collected 'data treasure trove' (photos, texts, etc.) in a readable form that is compatible with the technical conditions on the new platform. The popular excuse of 'technical hurdles' therefore no longer applies. How this will work in practice is still unclear.

5. The right to object (Art. 21 GDPR): Any person who provides their data must be able to object to any form of further processing, for example for advertising purposes. However, this provision can already be found in the BDSG (Section 28 (4)).

Our customers regularly receive emails from us alerting them to 'suspected spam'. They tell them about all the emails they have received that advertise an unexpected inheritance from Nigeria or super-duper-cheap tool sets. This process is called greylisting.

With greylisting, an email that has come under suspicion is initially held back by the provider. However, the recipient receives an automatic message about the measure and can - if they wish - subsequently release the mail within a certain period of time.

Greylisting is therefore an IT service that was developed to prevent the erroneous deletion of emails. After all, the classification of 'spam' is not always clear-cut; no e-mail can be labeled as 'garbage' or 'malware'. However, we distinguish ourselves with a service that provides security in this area.

Those who count themselves among the pioneers of green IT in Germany are also observing developments outside the server and away from CO₂-neutral cooling of data centers. For this reason, we are also concerned about insect mortality and the end of biodiversity.

With the flowering area project is a welcome project by regional farmers in the Lilienthal area, where citizens and companies can take over the sponsorship of meadows where only 'insect food' is grown. Not only does everything that creeps and flies find enough food there, the splendor of the flowers in these meadows is also pleasing to the human eye.

b.r.m. has taken over the sponsorship of 15,000 square meters of flower meadow. Many more hectares have already been allocated to supporters. We hope that the flowering meadow project will find many more imitators.

With the discussion about CO₂-tax, the issue of consistently implementing green IT is also gaining new significance. This is because global digitalization consumes vast amounts of energy. Every email, every search query contributes to the server load. Clemens Rohde from the Fraunhofer Institute in Karlsruhe says: "The energy requirement of data centers in Germany is currently around 10 to 15 TWh. Converted into equivalents, this is roughly equivalent to the CO₂-emissions that we have in air traffic in Germany." A company like Google, for example, has the energy requirements of a city of 200,000 inhabitants - and if the internet were a country, it would have the sixth largest energy requirements in the world.

In future, the only way to be on the safe side is to consistently reduce the energy consumption of your data centers. Or those who consistently rely on renewable energies for operation. Both apply to b.r.m., for example: We have optimized our servers with regard to green IT, and we only use renewable energies for operation. On the other hand, if you don't do this, the introduction of a CO₂-tax will simply be more expensive in future.

Mitigating climate change is a cross-cutting task that is gradually affecting all sectors of society. Under the sponsorship of Forschungszentrum Jülich, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy has therefore a project called TEMPRO project, which aims to provide a uniform scientific basis for evaluating the energy efficiency of data centers. It will also develop new energy-saving technologies to significantly reduce energy requirements in the IT sector. The acronym TEMPRO stands for 'Total Energy Management for Professional Data Centers'. The project is being coordinated at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg.

One of the partners in this project is the Bremen-based IT company b.r.m., which has already won many prizes and awards in the green IT sector with its energy-saving server technologies, particularly in the area of efficient cooling. As part of this project, we are using all our knowledge and experience to ensure that Germany can achieve the agreed climate targets in the IT sector on time.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact b.r.m. and ask for Harald Rossol or Hansjürgen Wilde.

At first glance, the term 'qualitative growth' seems paradoxical: doesn't every 'more' also require a greater consumption of resources? This may be the case when we think of 'meat products' or 'refrigerators'. But other laws apply in the field of 'immaterial services'. Here, greater productivity is perfectly possible without using more raw materials.

For years, b.r.m. has been following the path of 'qualitative growth': thanks to the consistent implementation of ideas from Green IT, our raw material and energy requirements are decreasing from year to year, our personnel requirements have remained constant over the years, while our customer base as well as the number and quality of services offered are constantly growing. We demonstrate every day that 'qualitative growth' is possible. Moreover, our commitment to climate protection and the environment has already earned us many prizes and awards.

If you would like to find out more, please contact Harald Rossol. The Managing Director of b.r.m. can look back on 20 years of experience in the field of 'qualitative growth' and various teaching assignments ...