In its judgment, the ECJ provided many clarifications on the application, jurisdiction and interpretation of data protection law. In principle, it has maintained its line of interpretation with regard to the GDPR provisions. 
However, with this judgment, the ECJ has made it clear that competition and data protection authorities should cooperate and not compete in order to ensure continuity in the control of the GDPR. In addition, the European Court of Justice has adopted a narrower interpretation of Article 6 of the GDPR in order to limit the cases of application and to limit abuse of the legal bases of large data processing companies.

Meta (Facebook) and Personalised Advertising: What You Should Know About the Current Ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ, Judgment of 04.07.2023, C-252/21)

Since 1st of August 2022 you can establish a GmbH or UG (haftungsbeschränkt) online. The Federal Chamber of Notaries (Bundesnotarkammer) has developed a platform for the online incorporation of a GmbH or UG (haftungsbeschränkt) thanks to which you can establish a GmbH or UG (haftungsbeschränkt) subject to a two-stage identity procedure. With this procedure, you can skip the face-to-face appointment at the notary's office and replace it by a safe video call. You only need two mobile devices (computer/tablet and smartphone) on which you can download the free notary app. With this app and the special video communication system, it is possible for the notary to check your identity by reading the chip of your suitable identity document (eID-capable identity card/eID card for EU and EEA citizens/electronic residence permit). Furthermore, the online procedure also enables the notarial certification of applications to the commercial register.

The Online Formation and Registration of a Gmbh or UG (Haftungsbeschränkt)

For EU citizens and members of the European Economic Area, it is possible to establish a GmbH online in Germany using the eID card. The Federal Chamber of Notaries has developed its own portal and a notary app that can be used to notarise the new company. The eID card ensures a secure identity procedure, which saves the need to go to a notary with little application effort and produces a modern digitalised formation procedure.

The eID Card for EU Citizens and Nationals of the European Economic Area

You can form a GmbH online if you would like to start your business as quickly and easily as possible. Regardless of whether you are abroad or your shareholders cannot meet for an on-site appointment - with an online notary appointment including certification of the shareholders' agreement, the formation of a GmbH or other legal forms can be handled much more efficiently in the future.
 
First, however, you need to find an online notary who already offers the technical requirements for video conferences and can implement them professionally and legally.


Digital Foundation From August 2022 - With Online Notary

Turnover can be boosted if restaurateurs rely more on digital tools. Especially establishments with frequently changing prices and dishes can switch to digital menus.

For restaurants with an older or very traditional clientele, a classic version can still make sense. After all, the feeling of leafing through a real menu and choosing a dish at your leisure is not available with the digital alternative.


Digital Menu - Inexpensive Alternative to the Classic Menu

Digital know-how is becoming increasingly important in professional life. This also applies to dealing with various digital media that you will encounter again and again in your job. Even if you have not completed a degree, some basic knowledge of digital media is often required when you are hired for a new job.

Some media formats are still very popular as analogue variants despite the progress in digitalisation. These include, for example, the photo collection in a beautiful photo book or the vinyl record of the favourite band.

Digital Media - An Overview

An electronic cash book is mandatory for most entrepreneurs with cash turnover and must be kept correctly. In order for the digital cash book to withstand an audit by the tax office, all legal requirements must be fulfilled correctly. Many professional tools support you in entering the data and also offer useful interfaces that make your business processes even more efficient.

The Digital Cash Book - Record Cash Transactions Digitally

The digital sick note is a significant relief for patients, doctors' offices as well as health insurance companies. Employers also benefit because they can request the current electronic sick note from the health insurance fund at any time and do not have to wait for the employee's paper printouts to arrive by post. Sick notes that are submitted too late and the associated labour law problems are now a thing of the past.

The Digital Sick Note as an Alternative

The digital archiving of incoming invoices, incoming mail or even private documents is being used more and more frequently in practice. It is important that requirements and legal provisions for digital archiving are observed. This includes, for example, the handling of documents that have to be kept for the tax office or other authorities. Easy to handle are electronic archiving systems as well as common DMS systems that can also archive large amounts of data securely and without problems.

Digital Archiving as an Opportunity

The digital ID card saves you time and money. For a long time, many appointments could only be handled in person or in writing by post. Now, they can be done much more quickly and efficiently with the digital ID card.

This is a relief for the self-employed and freelancers in particular, but private individuals will also save themselves more and more administrative procedures in the future by using the digital ID card. In other areas of life, such as sport and leisure (e.g. digital DGV ID card), but also in companies, digital ID cards are also becoming increasingly popular forms of identification.


Digital ID Card - Convenient and Modern

Working as a digital nomad sounds tempting, but in reality it is often harder than expected and by no means just a holiday with lucrative side work. However, with good preparation, a regular clientele and some start-up capital, the entry for internet nomads can be successful. If you want to become a digital nomad, you should also choose places that offer good internet and mobile phone reception.

Digital Nomads - A Lifetime Dream?

Of course, a real Christmas party where everyone meets in person cannot be replaced with a digital party. Nevertheless, the virtual Christmas party can be a good alternative for companies at special times. After all, coming together virtually as a team does not necessarily always have to have a business character.

With all kinds of games and other ideas, the celebration can even be quite fun. It is important to prepare well and have a moderator to guide the evening in order to prevent chaos and to make sure the joint games and activities are coordinated.

Digital Christmas Party - An Alternative?

Digital transformation is a lengthy but worthwhile process that companies will not be able to avoid in the future. Many have already started, others are still at the very beginning. Some have already set themselves up well in theory, but there are problems with implementation.

It is important to re-evaluate the process again and again and to adapt it to the current conditions as well as to take into account the long-term perspectives of the company. Good advice for digital transformation is therefore important especially at the beginning, but also during the digital transformation. The top management of companies should also always be involved in the entire process.

Digital Transformation as an Opportunity for Companies

Thanks to smartboards at school or homeschooling via learning platforms, pupils and teachers can now work through the subject matter digitally. For digital learning at school to have a positive influence on other areas of life, it is important that teachers are professionally qualified and that parents monitor the learning opportunities at home.

The digitalisation of teaching as well as the pedagogical teaching of media skills have an impact on later opportunities in professional life and will therefore continue to be a high priority in schools and training centres.


Digital Learning in All Areas of Life

An online trade fair is suitable for visitors who want to participate with as little effort as possible. Simply walk through virtual exhibition spaces in front of your computer and communicate with other exhibitors and participants - this is becoming increasingly interesting, especially for trade fairs with an international target group.

Many organisers today see great potential in so-called hybrid fairs. This is because the organiser does not have to plan for high travel costs or the costs of accommodation and catering for digital trade fairs. On the other hand, the technical effort required to allow all participants to network should not be underestimated. However, this can be easily managed with the support of a professional organiser.

Digital Trade Fairs as an Alternative to Classic Events

The electronic seal offers many advantages, but is not suitable for all types of documents. However, it is recommended for important online documents, which become forgery-proof thanks to your signature with a seal. A digital company seal can be designed in any way you like. A combination of company logo and name looks visually appealing and serious.

Similar to a signature on paper, the digital seal is legally valid, which is very important, for example, when sending online contracts as a PDF version. In addition, the digital seal marks the document as "original". It is particularly recommended for PDFs, as it is not always easy to integrate into other document types or cannot be opened properly by the recipient.


Digital Seal - Advantages and Disadvantages

What is a digital footprint? You can certainly answer this question sooner than the question "What does Google think about me?". Because it is not always so easy to determine what data the company collects from users.

You cannot completely erase your digital footprint. However, with the measures and tips presented here, you can prevent yourself from leaving the wrong data on the internet. Make your digital footprint positive and always behave online the way you would like to be publicly presented and evaluated.


Digital Footprint - Your Footprint on the Web

Everyone should take care of their digital estate in good time. After all, you don't know when death or a serious illness will strike you. The more precise the wording on how to deal with the digital estate, the easier it is for the relatives to arrange everything in your best interest.

Digital Estate - Settle in Advance Thanks to Power of Attorney

There are many options for flexible, digital time recording. It's best to choose a software with an app that fits your company size and offers all the necessary functions. A time tracking software for small businesses usually needs fewer functions than a software for large companies, where a large number of employees manage their holidays as well as shifts, breaks and working hours.

Digital Time Recording - Advantages and Functions

According to the definition of digital identity, a large number of areas of life are affected by the digital transformation and the introduction of a digital identity. The digital identity is often described as the "I" in the Internet, as many digital processes take place online. Whether the digital identity will successfully influence companies in Germany depends strongly on the competent implementation as well as the acceptance of citizens to actively use their digital identity online and offline in the future.

Overall, the introduction of a digital identity in Europe will bring many advantages. Many of today's very time-consuming processes can be simplified and handled much faster. Above all, it will be easier to go to the authorities, make applications and prove one's own identity if the implementation is technically flawless. Instead of creating new profiles and online identities everywhere, thanks to digital identity, in the future, everything will work with a single ID throughout the EU.

Digital Identity - The ME on the Net 

There is no concrete guide through the digital world. Even what the digital world will look like in the future cannot be clearly predicted today. However, the trend towards digital transformation is clearly recognisable and many companies, but also schools, have already recognised this and are increasingly focusing on digital training and the use of innovative technologies.

Data and consumer protection should not be fogotten in the digital world, so that digital content can be used safely and trustworthily in the future and be accepted as an opportunity by everyone. Those who feel safe in the digital world are also open to new developments that will definitely come in the future.

The Digital World - In Businesses, Schools and Private Life

There are many opportunities, but also risks, that can accompany the digital transformation in companies. The change should therefore be seen as a long-term process and should be continually adapted to the current circumstances. This is the only way to ensure that all those involved support the digital transformation and work together for the long-term success of the company.

Digital Transformation - A Transformation of Diverse Processes

Digital competence is important for everyone - not only for managers and employees, but for the entire company that wants to adapt its business goals to the digital transformation in the long term. Companies that constantly invest in digital competence have more chances to be successful in the market. The focus should not only be on the company's own interests; the requirements of suppliers and customers must also be taken into account.

Digital Competence - Increasingly Important at Work

Digital currencies are in vogue - several countries around the world are currently working on introducing them to offer an alternative to cryptocurrencies. The EU has also set itself the goal of establishing the digital euro in the next few years and making it as stable and secure as classic cash.

Digital Currency - Digital Euro as an Alternative to Bitcoins and Co.

The advantages of digital communication are many, but there are also some disadvantages. If you compare analogue and digital communication, you can quickly see that while the time saved for exchanging information is enormous, personal contact is missing. A good balance between digital and personal communication should therefore be the goal in both private and professional environments.

Digital Communication - Advantages and Disadvantages

The digital desk can be arranged differently for everyone. But it always has the goal of enabling mobile working and making work processes as efficient as possible. Whether at home or at another location - a digital desk is flexible and gives you more freedom when working.

The programmes you use to network depend on whether you are employed or freelance. There are digital workspaces specifically designed for companies, but also many other tools that you can use as a freelancer or self-employed person to set up your virtual desk.

Digital Desk - Modern and Flexible

Whether for a workshop, a staff meeting or a customer presentation - a digital whiteboard offers many advantages. You can use it in a variety of ways and easily save the content you create on it for later use. The price depends on the quality of the resolution and the size of the screen diagonal.  

Digital Whiteboard - For Innovative Presentations

Thanks to the digital stamp, you save a lot of time. Private users are using this form of letter dispatch more and more. Freelancers and self-employed people also don't want to bother with annoying stickers or long queues at the post office, but prefer to send their mail flexibly. The fastest way to do this is to use a digital stamp, which you can easily create around the clock in the Post app.

Advice for Founders