Our approach to consumer protection
Our approach to protection of minors in the media
We want to protect children and young people when using digital media. We pursue a three-pillar strategy to do this:
- We provide attractive, age-appropriate offers for children. We give parents and legal guardians the information they need in order to be able to protect their children against inappropriate content.
- We participate in combating child abuse and its depiction to the extent that this is permitted within the European and national legal frameworks.
- We implement various measures to ensure that young people acquire media skills and can interact safely with online content.
We also collaborate closely with prosecuting authorities and NGOs as well as other partners from business, politics, and society to ban online content that is harmful to children and young people. We have anchored our commitment to protecting minors from unsuitable media content in Germany in relevant codes and introduced minimum standards. In 2007, we committed ourselves to fighting child pornography on the internet throughout the European Union. GSMA (an association representing the interests of mobile operators worldwide), of which we have been a member since 2008, pursues the same objectives at a global level.
To better coordinate our activities within the Group, we have been following binding general guidelines since 2013 for our activities to help protect minors against inappropriate media content, and thereby setting standards in our markets in the process. In consideration of their particular cultural situation and business model, each international subsidiary in the European Union can further specify these measures and adopt additional measures to determine their own strategic focal points.
Cooperation with organizations for the protection of minors
Protecting minors from unsuitable media content poses a challenge that affects many industries. We therefore work together with different organizations for the protection of minors and participate in coalitions that coordinate the involvement of companies and organizations from the internet and media sector.
- For example, we are a member of the “Alliance to better protect minors online,” which has set out to make the internet a safer place for kids.
- We have also taken a leading role in the “ICT
Coalition for Children Online.” In this coalition, we pursue a comprehensive and cross-industry approach based on six principles that expressly includes helping young people learn media skills.
Since 2013, in the framework of the two cooperative efforts, we have been implementing an EU-wide package of measures based on the principles of the ICT Coalition. We provide transparent and regular information on its implementation. Most recently, we provided such information in 2021, in our ICT Coalition report. The ICT Coalition had first published an annual report in 2014 on the implementation of corresponding measures at all of the companies represented in the ICT Coalition. This report was written by an independent expert from the Dublin Institute of Technology, and comes to the conclusion that Deutsche Telekom’s approach to implementing the ICT Coalition’s principles is exemplary.
Online “Safer Internet for Kids” campaign
The internet is part of our daily life – for children too. To make sure they are safe online, children need to be aware of what to avoid. As part of the educational project “Online, being informed is being protected,” we started an online campaign for social media in early 2022. As part of the “Safer Internet for Kids” campaign, Telekom Romania explained the dangers of the internet, making parents and children more aware of the risks. We set up a survey on LinkedIn and Facebook and published six video tutorials. Each video included relevant information and useful tips from an expert – including on the topics of cyber bullying , online safety, and how to spend less time online. The campaign reached over 1 million users on both platforms.
Our approach to safe mobile communication
We want to make our mobile communications infrastructure and our products, as well as the processes on which they are based, as resource-efficient, secure, and safe for health as possible. In Germany these activities are based in particular on voluntary commitments by mobile network operators and a mobile communications agreement with local authorities’ associations. External experts review compliance with these voluntary commitments every two years. In 2022, the mobile network operators presented the latest mobile communications expert report (for 2020 and 2021) to the German government, which was coordinated and published by the Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik (German Institute for Urban Studies). According to the report, the mobile communications expansion is progressing smoothly for the most part, with the few controversial issues down to isolated incidents. The report surveyed over 1 700 municipalities throughout Germany, with 90 percent of them reporting they had few or no controversial cases to decide.
In June 2020, working in cooperation with the leading municipal associations and other German network operators, we revised and updated the existing agreement on information exchange in connection with the expansion of mobile networks that had been in place since 2001. Its goal is to ensure that municipalities are involved in establishing the 5G networks and in a swift and conflict-free expansion of the network infrastructure. In addition, the four network operators added a regulation for the expansion of small cells to the 2020 agreement with the municipal associations. Network operators had already agreed to this in February 2020 in their voluntary commitment on the issue of small cells to the German government.
Policy on Electromagnetic Fields
The policy on electromagnetic fields (EMF) in force throughout the Group since 2004 plays a primary role: Our EMF Policy contains uniform minimum requirements for mobile communications and health that go far beyond the national legal requirements. Our policy provides our national companies with a mandatory framework that makes sure that the topic of mobile communications and health is addressed in a consistent, responsible way throughout the Group. All of our national companies have officially accepted the EMF Policy and implemented most of the required measures.
Our EMF Policy stipulates the following principles and measures:
EMF Policy
Transparency
We place importance on openly discussing issues involved in mobile communications. We make all relevant information regarding our mobile communications equipment in Germany accessible to the public, e.g., on the EMF database operated by the German Federal Network Agency.
Information
We provide consumer information that is easy to understand and pursue a fact-based, sound information policy. On our Group website we provide the latest information to those interested. We also provide our customers with information online on the SAR levels of their mobile devices. Additional details are also available in the shops and through our free environmental hotline.
Participation
We rely on close collaboration and constructive dialog with all those involved, including municipalities, when it comes to network expansion. Our goal is to find amicable solutions and negotiate acceptable compromises, which can only be achieved by responding fairly to critical arguments and being ready to learn from mistakes.
Promoting science & partnerships
Our guidelines call for promoting targeted research, scientific excellence, transparency, objectivity, and intelligibility.
We conduct ongoing reviews of compliance with our EMF Policy. Our international working group, the “EMF Core Team”, uses the findings to improve individual aspects a to jointly develop solutions.
Mobile communications and health (EMF)
Electromagnetic fields (EMFs ) are a prevalent part of our connected world, even if we are not able to perceive them directly. Their effects on our health remain a topic of discussion. Deutsche Telekom, like all providers, must ensure that the statutory threshold values are observed in mobile communications. In Germany, the threshold values are set by the Federal Government and are based on the recommendations of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP ).
The effects of EMFs have been thoroughly researched over the past decades in numerous scientific studies. The World Health Organization (WHO) analyzes the findings of scientific research and most recently made a statement regarding the results in 2014. In its statement, it concludes that the current threshold values for EMFs ensure that mobile communications technology can be used safely and that research should accompany further development of the technology. In 2020, after evaluating the latest scientific research, the ICNIRP once again confirmed the protection concept for EMFs, as they are used in mobile communications. According to ICNIRP, the threshold values ensure comprehensive protection for people and the environment. This also applies to frequency ranges used by 5G, because, like earlier network types, 5G requires high safety standards. Safe operation of mobile communications technology in Germany is therefore ensured.
Since 2020 the Informationszentrum Mobilfunk (Mobile Communications Information Center) together with the local authorities’ associations have published three information brochures on the issue of mobile communications (only available in German). The content is geared primarily to municipalities and local decision-makers. In the year under review, the range of information (only available in German) was supplemented by videos, articles, and podcasts on socially relevant 5G applications, along with explanatory videos on the mobile communications expansion. Informationszentrum Mobilfunk also supported the communications initiative from the German government “Deutschland spricht über 5G (Germany talks about 5G)” – with work such as the implementation of citizen dialog initiatives.
In cooperation with the three other 5G licensees in Germany, Telefónica Germany, Vodafone, and 1&1 Mobilfunk, we support Informationszentrum Mobilfunk. The portal provides objective, scientifically sound information about basic issues relating to mobile communications, including controversial issues, in the areas of health and safety, technology and network expansions, the environment and sustainability, and politics and legal questions.
Further information on this subject can be found under CR facts.
Consumer protection is a multi-faceted topic at Deutsche Telekom. A core element is keeping our customers’ data safe and secure. Data protection and data security are therefore top priorities for us.
Children and young people, in particular, need to be shielded from dangers online. That’s why protecting children and young people also plays a big part in what we do. We take youth protection aspects into consideration in our product and service design. When we develop services that are relevant in terms of youth protection in Germany, we consult our youth protection officer for suggestions of restrictions or changes. We have appointed a child safety officer (CSO) at each of our national companies within the EU who is responsible for issues pertaining to the protection of minors. The CSO acts as a central contact for stakeholders
from the community in the respective country and plays a key internal role in coordinating issues related to youth protection. We thereby strengthen Deutsche Telekom’s lasting and transparent commitment to protecting minors.
In addition, we strive to ensure that our networks and mobile devices are safe to use. We study the latest scientific research on mobile communications and health, and we provide our customers with transparent updates in this regard.