The 3-Line Summary
- The 10th German IGF (IGF-D 2018) met at Berlin's Rotes Rathaus on 27 November 2018, drawing about 100 participants under the motto "Digitale Teilhabe" (digital participation).
- A future-of-work debate with unions, employers, the Federal Labour Ministry and the ILO, a one-year review of the NetzDG platform law, and cyber-peace initiatives topped the agenda; Chancellery Minister Helge Braun addressed the forum.
- One year before hosting the global IGF in Berlin, Germany consolidated its domestic debate — and its pioneering review of the world's first big social-media enforcement law still informs regulators elsewhere.
Welcome — this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on IGF-D 2018 (10th German Internet Governance Forum / X. Internet Governance Forum Deutschland) draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.
Conference at a Glance (from official records)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Official name | IGF-D 2018 (10th German Internet Governance Forum / X. Internet Governance Forum Deutschland) |
| Dates | 27 November 2018 |
| Venue | Wappensaal, Rotes Rathaus (Red Town Hall), Berlin, Germany |
| Theme | Digital Participation (Digitale Teilhabe) |
| Host | IGF-D multistakeholder steering committee |
| Outcome | "Messages from Berlin" compiled by rapporteurs, fed into the UN IGF and EuroDIG |
(See the source list at the end of this article.)
Discussion Digest — from the Session Records
Key exchanges extracted from session records and transcripts.
1. "Digital Participation" — Governance Arrives at the Centre of Politics
Sessions: Opening and speech by the Head of the Chancellery
- Chancellery Minister Helge Braun argued that internet governance had become a key political question, no longer just a matter for specialists, and framed Germany's hosting of the 2019 UN IGF as a catalyst for domestic digitalisation [1]
- He pointed to major fibre-optic investment, school digitalisation funding and 100 new AI professorships as measures to close Germany's digital gap [1]
- Braun stressed unified European regulatory approaches as a counterweight to the "large blocs" of the USA and China [1]
2. The Future of Work — Unions, Employers, the Labour Ministry and the ILO at One Table
Sessions: Debate on the digital, co-determined future of work
- Business and trade-union representatives debated the digital future of work and co-determination together with the Federal Ministry of Labour (BMAS) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) [2]
- With automation and platform work spreading, safeguarding workers' participation tied directly into the forum's "digital participation" motto [2]
3. One Year of the NetzDG — Auditing the World's First Big Social-Media Law
Sessions: Session reviewing one year of the Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG)
- Stakeholders reviewed the first year of the Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG, fully in force since January 2018), which obliges platforms to remove illegal content [2]
- The debate revisited the law's effectiveness against hate speech versus the risk of over-blocking legitimate speech [2]
4. Cyber Peace — Stability Instead of an Arms Race
Sessions: Session on cyber-peace initiatives
- With state-backed cyberattacks becoming routine, the forum discussed the opportunities and international preconditions of cyber-peace initiatives [2]
- The debate coincided with a landmark month for international cyber norms — the Paris Call for Trust and Security in Cyberspace had just been launched [2]
5. The Road to Berlin 2019 — The German Community's Run-Up
Sessions: Related session at IGF 2018 in Paris: "Strengthening the IGF: The German community invites to a discussion"
- Two weeks before IGF-D 2018, the German IGF community hosted an open forum at the UN IGF 2018 in Paris, where officials from the economics and foreign ministries, Prof. Wolfgang Kleinwächter and eco's Michael Rotert discussed strengthening the IGF — from a year-round process to funding for developing-country participation [3][1]
- Daniela Brönstrup (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs) explained that Germany applied to host the 2019 IGF out of genuine support for the multistakeholder approach, tightly linking the national IGF-D to the global process [3][1]
Three-Minute Short Talk — Your Questions Answered
Q. What was discussed?
A. Under the motto "digital participation": the future of work with unions, employers and the ILO; a one-year review of the NetzDG platform law; and cyber peace. The Chancellery Minister spoke at this milestone 10th edition.
Q. What was the highlight?
A. The NetzDG review. One year into the world's first major social-media enforcement law, stakeholders audited whether it curbed hate speech or induced over-blocking.
Q. Why should I care?
A. Platform laws worldwide — from the EU's DSA to Japan's own rules — drew on the NetzDG experience, and the habit of reviewing such laws after year one started here.
What Is Germany IGF? (for first-time readers)
Germany IGF is a National or Regional IGF Initiative (NRI), aligning local internet governance discussion with global IGF principles.
Why It Matters to You
What was discussed here becomes the baseline for national digital policy, platform rules and AI regulation worldwide within a few years. The principles confirmed at the 2018 meeting are the foundation of the "next rules" for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.
Sources & References
- Internet Governance Forum soll deutsche Digitalpolitik ein bisschen beflügeln — heise online (accessed 2026-07-11)
- „Digitale Teilhabe“ zentrales Thema beim 10. Internet Governance Forum Deutschland — DENIC eG (accessed 2026-07-11)
- IGF 2018 – Strengthening the IGF: The German community invites to a discussion — DiploFoundation (accessed 2026-07-11)
- Internet Governance Forum Deutschland — DiploFoundation (accessed 2026-07-11)
Quotes are translated or condensed from the records listed above. Bracketed numbers [n] refer to the source list.
Related links
- IGF official (NRI list): https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives
- Japan IGF: https://japanigf.jp/
- Yuki Nakazawa's blog: https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Revision History
Rev. 1 — published 2 June 2018, 16:00 (Article published)
Rev. 2 — updated 16 July 2026, 20:09 (Fully revised into the in-depth edition: added the 3-line summary, minutes digest, short talk, source list and diagrams (all quotes verified against the listed sources))
— 中澤祐樹
