© CRISP

Afterwards, the delegates discussed with Prof. Peter Buxmann and CRISP spokesman Prof. Johannes Buchmann, CYSEC [at] TU Darmstadt, questions such as "Are Facebook and other social media a threat to our democracy?" What is our data worth and how can we protect it from unauthorized access? ". There was a lively discussion about the fairness of digital business models, in which the demand for more information and education on data-based services on the internet emerged. The competitiveness of Germany compared to global players such as the USA was also critically examined. MEPs took the opportunity to gather expertise on a variety of security issues in the digital world and stressed the importance of bringing current research to society and politics.

Dr. Astrid Mannes was pleased about the visit of the two Darmstadt professors in Berlin. "It's good that research institutions that receive public money also introduce themselves to politics. In addition, the issues raised are of great relevance. Therefore, it was valuable for the MPs present to receive background information and recommendations for political action, "said the member of the Bundestag.

Prof. Johannes Buchmann also drew a positive conclusion from the event: "Thanks to many years of funding from the state of Hesse and the BMBF, CRISP in Darmstadt has become Europe's largest research alliance in the field of cyber security and privacy. That's why we can cover the entire bandwidth - from the basics to the applications. We are very pleased about the interest of the members. "

After his presentation, Prof. Peter Buxmann emphasized that the pros and cons of data economics had to be weighed up again: "The central challenge of the digital transformation is to use the analysis of data for economy and society while protecting people's privacy."