Newsletter

Week 27/2025

Die Wolken, die erkennt man nicht

Nikolaus Forgó

27 Jun 2025 — 6 min read

Summer Solstice

NSFW

This week’s song comes a little early but as temperatures have risen to uncomfortable values already and as thunderstorms have become quite intense as well, it’s pehaps appropriate to put this song - as this week’s climate change reminder here:

Der Nino aus Wien is an interesting musician, sometimes collaborating closely with Ernst Molden, covering people like Wolfgang Ambros with remarkable results.

May I also suggest to watch this interview with Austria’s climate minister Norbert Totschnig. This is remarkable as he explains that +3.1 degrees temperature raise in Austria - where we stand at the moment - is no reason to worry at all, as Austria is a land-locked country.

It’s very unfortunate that both journalists didn’t stay on the message.

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1150563630445947&set=a.295220785980240

“This data visualisation, based on Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) data, shows sea surface temperature anomalies recorded on 22 June 2025. Areas in dark red indicate temperatures more than 5°C above the seasonal average.”

When I was in school, more than 36 degrees meant standstill of almost everything and schools remained closed as the heat was perceived as unbearable for studying or work. This is, in comparison, the forecast for Thursday:

Remember, however, this is the coolest summer we will see in our lifes.

Retrospect

#arsboni

I published two episodes this week. The first is quite disillusioning.

The second is encouraging.

DEMGES

The DEMGES (Democracies in Digital Societies)-Commission had a meeting in the Austrian Academy of Sciences in their beautiful premises on Monday. We are currently writing our first papers. Barbara Prainsack has more on LinkedIn.

Medal of Honor

My friend and role model Dr. Andy Kaltenbrunner received a decoration of honor (“Goldene Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich”) and was so kind to take me with him. It was my first time in the newly occupied building for the ministry of research (Minoritenplatz 3, no longer Minoritenplatz 5) and also the first time that I saw the new minister of research Eva-Maria Holzleitner live. Head of Unit Elmar Pichl was the laudator. Brigitte Kromp (see Weekly 19/2024 and Weekly 21/2025) received an award as well.

It was a nice ceremony and a good reason to study the hirarchy of Austrian decorations of honor. Andy is, funnily, in a group with people like Paul Hörbiger or George Foreman or Chris Lohner or Stefanie Werger.

AWAK-AI Day

The “Anwaltsakademie” organised a very nice conference on AI in/and lawyering on Wednesday. For me, it was the very first time to present - like my friend, colleague and co-editor Dr. Lukas Feiler on the picture below - in a cinema (on Wienerberg).

The event brought much of relevant input, I enjoyed, in particular, the product overview of MANZ showing their AI-product genjus KI.

The main argument I made in my presentation was that the AI-Act (and similar legislations, DSA, DMA and NIS-2 would be other examples) has to be interpreted as a magical incantation ritual and not as a ‘traditional’ legal text containing rules that are designed to establish and stabilise (clear) (normative) expectations.

Dr. Karl Newole was so kind to send me a photo with me making this point.

© Dr. Karl Newole

(A big advantage of a cinemas is that they have aircoditions which is the only way to make wearing ties and suits still bearable, but don’t ask how it felt to climb Wienerberg by bicycle in this outfit).

Data Protection Conference - Köln

Prof. Niko Haerting and Dr. Flemming Moos were so kind to have me again at their data protection conference in Coulogne.

This conference has an oustandingly interesting speaking format: Six speakers with diverse backgrounds are united on the panel, each of us being allowed to speak for 8 minutes only on very diverse and very fundamental topics - and the time limit is very strict. The session lasts, however, 3 1/2 hours and consists - apart from the short inputs - of debate only - masterfully orchestrated by Haerting. I was booked to speak abourt art. 9 GDPR but served also, somehow, as Austria-correspondent, being the only non-german on the panel. The format triggers really astonishing insights and I learned a lot, for example, on daily authority business in Hamburg.

The other detail I noted during the trip is the still, and more and more, excuse my French, ridiculous infrastructure in Germany. This is the internet bandwith in the 4 star hotel

and may I tell you that I am finishing this post in - of course - a wrong ICE as my train wass canceled that is, again, late and loses, of course, internet connection every 15 minutes or so - which makes working on this report almost impossible (not to talk about any ‘serious’ work :-) ).

Prospect

#arsboni

Two live sessions are ahead of us, and two recordings in the laundry.

On Tuesday, 01/07 at 10.00 am I will meet Prof. Dr. Alexander Thiele

and will discuss his book

Wednesday, 02/07 at 19.00 CETwill bring another LLP-podcast session on summer internships.

Look and Feel

Graz

Te legal and ethical aftermaths of the Graz schoolshooting continue. Der Falter has an interesting podcast episode on the matter.

The (for me) most important statement in the discussion comes from Robert Treichler, reporting that he had spoken with his teenage-kid who had (of course) confirmed that they had seen all relevant videos and statements - outside from traditional media. The panelists are discussing 10 minutes long whether it’s ok or not ok to name the shooter’s full name without stating that it takes (me; I checked again on Saturday 20/06, teens are probably quicker) three seconds and Reddit search only to get a (likely) name. An LLM such as Perplexity deals with the issue in the following way (the black bar hiding the full name is from me, of course .)

Glorifying TikToks with the killer’s cat photos, 1400 likes and “I LUV HIM” statements are only 2 clicks away then by simply googling the alleged full name.