Press Release
25.06.2023
On June 23, 2023, the General Assembly of ATIC (Association for Information Technology and Communications in Romania) took place. On this occasion, the president of the association, Prof. Vasile Baltac, announced his retirement from the position. The attending members expressed their appreciation for his three decades of leadership within the association and his contribution to the development of the IT field in Romania and internationally. Dr. Vasile Baltac was widely recognized being elected president of CEPIS, the European Association of IT professionals, vice-president of WITSA, the global alliance of professional associations in the field and member of the board of ICDL Foundation. According to ATIC’s statutes, Professor Vasile Baltac becomes the honorary president of the association and the dean of the ATIC Forum.
Mr. Alin Niță, a recognized professional in the field and the CEO of Five Plus Solutions, was elected as the new president of ATIC. Mr. Niță has demonstrated his commitment to the digital domain and has been actively promoting its development in Romania.
ATIC, the oldest IT association in Romania, aims to promote the exchange of information, collaboration, and cooperation among its members, while honouring creativity and adherence to the law through extensive discussions for the efficient and professional use of scientific advancements.
ATIC will continue to be a driving force in the advancement of the IT industry in Romania, fostering innovation, collaboration, and growth opportunities in this vital sector of the national economy. Under the leadership of President Alin Niță, ATIC will seek to further strengthen Romania’s position as a regional IT hub and promote the advantages and opportunities offered by information and communications technologies.
For more information about the Association for Information Technology and Communications in Romania (ATIC) and its activities, please visit the official website at www.atic.org.ro.
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Tremend’s turnover reached 21 million Euro in 2020, a 40% increase in business compared to 2019
26.02.2021
Tremend, one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the region in Deloitte and Financial Times 1000 Europe rankings, has grown its business up to 21 million Euro, an increase of 40% compared to the previous year, thus maintaining the upward trend of the last years.
For 2021, Tremend aims for a turnover of 30 million Euro, by consolidating its presence in the US, UK and Benelux markets, and by growing its number of clients as a result of the partnerships with Microsoft, Mastercard and Salesforce.
In this regard, 50 new clients, from Germany, the United Kingdom, the US, Belgium, Israel, and Romania, operating in industries such as retail, finance, insurance, and technology, became part of Tremend’s portfolio.
The software development company will continue focusing in the upcoming period on implementing Digital Transformation projects in four strategic directions: financial services, services for the European Commission, technology, and retail.
“We have an ambitious growth goal for this year, which is sustained by the Digital Transformation trends of the market, both locally and internationally. We’re also relying on our 15 years of technical expertise in providing customized products that cater to the needs of our clients, delivering solutions for automating the sales flows, and supporting companies during the migration process from traditional channels to self-service, completely digital ones”, declares Ioan Cocan, Managing Partner, Tremend.
Tremend will continue to invest this year in its own products, in verticals such as financial services and eLearning, as well as in emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Cloud, and Natural language processing (NLP). Additionally, the company will put a strong emphasis on doubling the number of clients in the Benelux region from 11 at the moment, as well as increasing the number of projects with the European Commission and other European institutions.
At a team-based level, which is working entirely remotely, Tremend will recruit this year 150 software engineers and specialists in technologies such as Java, Python, PHP, Angular, React, C++, Android, iOS and QA, as well as Business Analysts and Project Managers. If during the past few years Tremend consolidated its team from Brasov, which at this moment includes 40 specialists, now it plans to grow its team in the Benelux region with up to 25 new members.
The company kept on the ascending trend in 2020, following a concentrated effort of the Research and Development (R&D) team on creating Digital Transformation solutions. These solutions have helped companies to easily overcome the impact produced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The year 2020 was an endurance test, during which we adapted quite rapidly as a team and we’ve consolidated our image as a trustworthy technology partner. At the same time, we’ve put a stronger emphasis on the personal development of our team and on adopting emerging technologies, which we’ve integrated into our solutions.”, mentions Marius Hanganu, Managing Partner, Tremend.
For the innovative projects developed and for their positive impact on society, Tremend was awarded last year the Impact Star Award in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 CE ranking. Additionally, Tremend entered the Financial Times 1000 top of the most dynamic companies in Europe for the fourth year in the row, and the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA ranking for the third year in a row, with the biggest growth in Romania.
About Tremend
Tremend has 15 years of experience in developing complex software engineering and offering consultancy services, implementing over 700 large projects for top companies in industries such as finance, telecom, banking, automotive, and medical services. The company uses the most advanced technologies of the moment, from AI and Machine Learning to IoT and Microservices. In 2020, Tremend was included in Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA, was recently awarded the Impact Star recognition by Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe 2020 for its innovation commitment and positive impact on society, and has entered for the fourth time consecutively in FT1000 – Europe’s Fastest-Growing Companies. Over the years, Tremend was included two times, successively, in Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe, the ranking of the most dynamic technology-oriented companies in the region, and two times in INC 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in Europe. Tremend has offices in Romania, in Bucharest & Brasov, in Atlanta, USA, in Brussels, Belgium, in London, UK and Luxembourg.
More info on www.tremend.com.
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Tremend wins the Impact Star award by Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe 2020, for its innovation commitment and positive impact on society
26.11.2020
Tremend — the most dynamic Romanian tech company in Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA 2019 ranking — was recently awarded the Impact Star recognition by Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe 2020.
The Impact Star Award was introduced for the first time in 2020, in this unprecedented context created by the COVID-19 pandemic. This award acknowledges companies for successfully linking proprietary products and services with a positive impact on society, business, innovativeness, environment and diversity.
Over the past year, Tremend’s engineering team efforts have focused on digital transformation solutions that support companies in unlocking their potential and overcoming the unique challenges posed by COVID-19.
“We are honored to receive the Impact Star award by the Deloitte 2020 Central Europe Technology Fast 50 programme. It represents an international recognition of the impact of our advanced solutions in supporting companies’ efforts in terms of innovation and digitalization. Nevertheless, it emphasizes our capabilities for change management in a dynamic and challenging market”, Marius Hanganu, Managing Partner, Tremend, says.
Based on Tremend Application Foundation — an internal modular solution for rapid application development using pre-existing modules which can be adjusted according to business needs — Tremend successfully developed competitive digital platforms.
In a very short span of time, Tremend created TORP, the digital onboarding platform which supports companies’ business continuity efforts by offering customers a secure, remote access to their products and services. It also developed observED, an advanced platform that supports digital transformation in education, enabling a seamless transition from pen-paper examination to online assessments.
“We released competitive products such as TORP and ObservED, that support the companies’ digital transformation needs during this period, help them practice physical distancing and protect the health and safety of others. We leverage the latest technologies to develop agile digital transformation solutions during innovation workshops with our clients and partners, thus supporting them in achieving the highest standards and providing competitive services”, Alexandru Paraschiv, Director of Innovation, Tremend, states.
As a European Commission technological partner, Tremend supports European public sector companies with their innovation process. By developing the European education platform EPALE, Tremend supports education by creating a diverse European community, opened to the participation of adult learning professionals, including educators and trainers.
As a technology partner of eTwinning, the community for schools in Europe, Tremend empowers teachers through technology to collaborate, develop projects, share information using a platform with over 860,000 teachers, over 213,000 schools and 113,000 projects.
By building the European Commission’s School Education Gateway platform, the company is involved in modernizing and aligning with the online and training latest trends, especially during Covid-19 times.
At the same time, Tremend carried on with R&D investments, and plans to support this strategic direction in the future. Recently, the company released the HumanoID research project in partnership with the University of Bucharest to help companies simplify the process of knowing and validating the identity of users without the need for its physical presence. Another research project Tremend is working on in partnership with University Politehnica Bucharest and the University of Bucharest is Graphomaly, an AI-based solution for risk and anomaly detection in financial transactions.
Tremend is the most dynamic Romanian company included in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA ranking and has joined, for the fourth time in a row, Financial Times 1000 top of the fastest-growing companies in Europe. In recent years, Tremend entered the Deloitte Fast 50 Central Europe and the INC. 5000 Europe ranking.
MARIUS HANGANU, Managing Partner- Tremend
About Tremend
Tremend has 15 years of experience in offering complex software engineering and consultancy services, implementing over 700 large projects for top companies in industries such as finance, telecom, banking, automotive, and medical services. The company uses the most advanced technologies of the moment, from AI and Machine Learning to IoT and Microservices. In 2020, Tremend was included in Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA, with the highest growth rate in Romania and was featured four times successively in FT1000 – Europe’s Fastest-Growing Companies. Tremend has offices in Romania, in Bucharest & Brasov, in Atlanta, USA, in Brussels, Belgium, and London, UK.
More info on www.tremend.com.
Press Contact Tremend
Claudia Popa
Senior Marketing Specialist
claudia.popa@tremend.com
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Tremend celebrates its 15th anniversary, estimating 20 million Euros turnover by the end of this year
05.11.2020
Tremend, the Romanian company featured for the fourth time in a row in the FT 1000 ranking, celebrates its 15th anniversary and continues the upward trend, estimating a 20 million Euros turnover by the end of the year, an increase of 32% compared to 2019.
With clients in 20 countries on four continents and over 700 large-scale projects launched in sectors such as telecom, finance, automotive or retail, Tremend has consolidated its position among the top technology players in the region. The company’s long-term customer relationships and partnerships, established with industry leaders such as Microsoft, Salesforce or Mastercard had an important contribution in this regard. At the same time, investments in the company’s R&D as well as its focus on developing innovative solutions had a positive impact on the business. To this extent, Tremend plans to support this strategic direction in the future, especially in areas such as Cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Customer Experience.
This year, Tremend released a wide range of competitive platforms for digitization-oriented sectors. TORP is the digital onboarding and origination solution with applicability in various industries, from financial and telecom to education and health. ObservED is an innovative proctoring tool, based on biometrics data, that helps schools, universities and assessment companies worldwide to reinforce academic integrity during remote online examinations.
At the same time, Tremend’s team of software engineers is involved in the HumanoID research project for developing a smart solution for identity verification and document authenticity validation. Another research project Tremend is currently involved in, in partnership with University Politehnica Bucharest and the University of Bucharest, is Graphomaly, for building an AI-based solution for risk/anomaly detection in financial transactions.
“Together with our 400 colleagues, we built systems based on enhanced procedures that bring benefits to our customers, increase productivity and reduce costs. Our R&D investments, the establishment of our new Innovation Department, are meant to help our partners find the most effective solutions and easily overcome the challenges caused by today’s context”, states Marius Hanganu, Managing Partner, Tremend.
To capitalize on business opportunities, the software company added new clients to its portfolio last year, such as Credex, Altex, Libra bank, First Bank, European Environment Agency, and more.
Tremend has also become a European Commission technological partner, being selected for several educational projects and is the consortium leader for EPALE, the electronic platform for adult education in Europe. The company is also the technology partner in developing the eTwinning platform, a modern tool whose aim is to encourage European schools to collaborate using Information and Communication Technologies by providing the necessary infrastructure (online tools, services, support). Tremend also took over the development of the School Education Gateway platform, the European Commission’s online school education solution.
By quickly adapting to the new context, the software development engineers are working remotely not only from the Romania-based headquarters in Bucharest and Brașov, but also from Cluj, Craiova, Iași, Suceava, the USA, Belgium, and the UK.
“With Tremend celebrating its 15th anniversary this month, we would like to thank our colleagues and clients who accompany us on this challenging journey. During the years, we have strengthened our image as a trusted and reliable technology partner, for both our local and international clients, and we have continued experimenting with emerging technologies, infusing innovation in the solutions we deliver. Our plans for the future involve supporting companies in their digitization strategy and processes, and further developing our portfolio of products”, mentions Ioan Cocan, Managing Partner, Tremend.
In the forthcoming span, Tremend will focus on expanding its business internationally in the USA, UK, and Germany, going beyond being a technology player, but a consultant with industry expertise. The company will focus on areas such as Financial Services, Public Services, Retail & Consumer, Telecom, Chip Design Verification, and Semiconductors, and will develop solutions and products that are based on the customer needs and employ cutting-edge technologies.
The company will also focus its efforts on growing in areas such as Customer Experience (CX), Cloud and AI, on solutions that use Magento and Salesforce, and also on developing frameworks for reusable applications, using Agile methodologies.
About Tremend
Tremend has 15 years of experience in offering complex software engineering and consultancy services, implementing over 700 large projects for top companies in industries such as finance, telecom, banking, automotive, and medical services. The company uses the most advanced technologies of the moment, from AI and Machine Learning to IoT and Microservices. Tremend was included two times, successively, in Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe, was featured for the third time among the fastest-growing companies in Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA, and four times successively in FT1000 – Europe’s Fastest-Growing Companies. Tremend has offices in Romania, in Bucharest & Brasov, in Atlanta, USA, in Brussels, Belgium, and London, UK.
Marius Hanganu and Ioan Cocan – Tremend founders
More info on www.tremend.com.
Press Contact Tremend
Claudia Popa
Senior Marketing Specialist
claudia.popa@tremend.com
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WITSA Holds First Virtual Women Leaders in Technology Forum
August 28, 2020
Fairfax, VA: The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) and the Information Service Industry Association of R.O.C. (CISA) today held its first virtual Women Leaders in Technology Forum, intended to encourage and inspire women who are either presently working in, or are interested in employment within, the information and communications technology (ICT) industry. The forum included notable speakers such as Google Vice President and Chief Internet Evangelist Dr. Vint Cerf, one of the Fathers of the Internet, WITSA Chairman Yvonne Chiu, Taiwan Minister of Economic Affairs, Wang Mai-Hua, and Taiwan Digital Minister Audrey Tang. The Forum was host to six exceptional Women Leaders in Technology:
Ms. Emma Arakelyan – CEO and Founder, Orion Worldwide Innovations, LLC; Formerly Partner at Ernst & Young and Managing Director at Accenture
- Ms. Marie Lou Papazian – Chief Executive Officer at TUMO Center for Creative Technologies
- Ms. Carolina Rossini – Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Portulans Institute
- Ms. Magdalena Yesil – Author, Power UP! How Smart Women Win in the New Economy; Formerly Founding Board Member and First Investor, Salesforce
- Ms. Frances West – Founder, FrancesWestCo; Formerly First Chief Accessibility Officer, IBM
- Nicole T.I. Chan, Former Chairperson of the National Communications Commission, NCC, Taiwan
The panelists provided unique insights into their own careers and backgrounds, revealing important lessons to aspiring women entrepreneurs.
WITSA Chairman Yvonne Chiu noted that while the COVID-19 pandemic poses a set of new challenges for women in the tech sector, in the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity. “While the virus has caused many businesses to put hiring plans on hold, WITSA believes the ICT industry is well placed to benefit from the changes COVID-19 has forced on the working population, and more roles in tech for women could be a result”, said Ms. Chiu. “Companies have had to switch to digital incredibly fast and tech has never been more relevant. Jobs will be created in the ICT field and the new remote, flexible ways of working will likely benefit women in significant ways.”
WITSA Secretary General Dr. Jim Poisant noted the importance of gender diversity, which has multiple benefits in technology settings, referring to a research study by the National Center for Women & Information Technology[1]. “This could explain why tech companies have started to invest in initiatives that aim to boost the number of female applicants, recruit them in a more effective way, retain them for longer, and give them greater opportunities for advancement”, stated Dr. Poisant.
A complete recording of the event is available at https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1qElR3GIf292dxSu_1DBYMP9t2JhIgSq0?fbclid=IwAR27_qoEO5P-7pjavHwZGzGzswBaO-va4_Jid8W02kGEdFwZBO00JhgAMMY
A complete program is available at https://witsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Women-Leaders-in-Tech-Agenda-scaled.jpg
About WITSA:
The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is the leading recognized international voice of the global ICT industry, whose members from over 80 countries and economies represent more than 90 percent of the world ICT market. WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance industry growth and development; facilitating international trade and investment in ICT products and services; strengthening WITSA’s national industry associations; and providing members with a broad network of professional contacts.
WITSA members are leaders in a globally interconnected marketplace. Because the challenges facing the ICT industry are undisputedly global in nature, WITSA members work together to achieve a shared vision on important issues of common interest. WITSA makes it possible for its members — ranging from Mongolia and Argentina to Kenya and the United States — to identify common issues and priorities, exchange valuable information, and present a united position on industry issues. For more information on WITSA, please visit www.witsa.org
View it online! https://witsa.org/witsa-holds-first-virtual-women-leaders-in-technology-forum/
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Tremend and CertSIGN enter into a strategic partnership to accelerate the customer-company digital interaction
Bucharest, June 11, 2020
Tremend, one of the fastest-growing technology companies in Europe, and CertSIGN, Qualified Trust Service Provider, have entered into a strategic partnership to digitize customer-company interaction by integrating identification flow and remote qualified electronic signature within TORP’s digital onboarding platform.
TORP is the first solution in Romania that has implemented a video-assisted remote customer identification flow – eKYC (Electronic Know Your Customer), process audited and certified by the French company LSTI in the context of issuing qualified certificates. Thus, compliance with national regulations and the European legislation on electronic identification and trusted services for electronic transactions is guaranteed.
User identification runs through a real-time video stream, with the same level of technical security and legal compliance as face-to-face recognition, following all global directives: AML5 (Anti-Money Laundering), GDPR and SCA (Strong Customer Authentication).
TORP integrates the Paperless remote electronic signature solution, developed by CertSIGN. Through this, video-identified users have 100% digital access to an organization’s business processes. The CertSIGN Paperless remote electronic signature is also eIDAS compliant, legal, token-free, and can be used without installing special drivers. It can be accessed from any device, anywhere, anytime, ensuring secure data processing and storage and a high degree of protection against cyber-attacks.
The partnership between Tremend and CertSIGN introduces an ecosystem that fixes and ensures compliance with national and European legislation. At the same time, it creates a complete processes’ organization digitization, eliminating conventional authentication methods and document signing.
Thus, it is no longer necessary for the user to go to the physical branch to sign contracts, approve internal procedures, request a leave of absence, or perform any other digital procedures. The entire flow is in line with eIDAS regulation, which means it is compliant with European Union regulations on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions.
“Tremend team’s extensive technical expertise, combined with the maturity and security of CertSIGN services, strengthens our role as an innovator in the digital transformation ecosystem. Together, we will offer companies the best experience in digital onboarding, through a secure, modular, and flexible Customer Experience solution. This new product will support organizations in attracting modern customers, getting to know them better and offering greater mobility and speed while shortening the time for requesting and managing digital services and products.”, Ștefan Pătra, VP Tremend Software Consulting.
Aurel Meirosu, Manager for Business Development, BU electronic signature, certSIGN, states: “Digitization is increasingly present in all areas, and adopting a remote electronic signature solution can ease the transition towards the digital medium. This also comes with lower costs, increased efficiency and the possibility to sign electronic documents with a legal value anytime, anywhere, on any device. We are thoroughly pleased with our partnership with Tremend, to which, in addition to a certified and valid solution recognized at a European level, certSIGN comes with a proven experience in digitization key processes of an organization, coupled with a highly-trained team of specialists who are always ready to ensure the best technical solution that complements legal requirements.
About Tremend
Tremend has over 14 years of experience in offering complex software engineering and consultancy services, implementing over 700 large projects for top companies in industries such as finance, telecom, banking, automotive, and medical services. The company uses the most advanced technologies of the moment, from AI and Machine Learning to IoT and Microservices. Tremend was included two times, successively, in Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Central Europe, the ranking of the most dynamic technology-oriented companies in the region, and four times successively in FT1000 – Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies. Tremend has offices in Romania, in Bucharest & Brasov, in Atlanta, USA, in Brussels, Belgium, and London, UK.
More information is available on www.tremend.com
Press Contact Tremend
Claudia Popa
Senior Marketing Specialist
claudia.popa@tremend.com
About CertSIGN
CertSIGN, the main producer and developer of cryptographic solutions and trust services in Romania, offers trust-related services following all eIDAS requirements. These solutions are developed 100 percent in Romania and are specially designed to cater to the specific requirements of the business environment and for facilitating relations with public institutions. CertSIGN has projects in digital identity area, electronic signatures and cybernetic security in over 20 countries. The paperless solution of CertSIGN, for remote signature, is certificated at the European Union level as being a device for creating qualified electronic signatures.
Press Content CertSIGN
Irina Grecu
Communication Manager
irina.grecu@certsign.ro
Aurel MEIROȘU – Manager for Business Development, certSIGN
Ștefan PĂTRA – Vice President Financial Services, Tremend Software Consulting
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Tremend enters for the fourth time in a row in the Financial Times 1000 list of the fastest-growing companies in Europe
PRESS RELEASE
Bucharest, March 6, 2020
Tremend Software Consulting has entered, for the fourth time consecutively, in the FT 1000 ranking, the annual top of the fastest-growing companies in Europe, compiled by the Financial Times and Statista. The software development and consulting company registered a 335.6% increase in revenue, consolidating its position among the top players in Europe.
“We are pleased to be, for the fourth year in a row, among the most dynamic companies in Europe. The presence in the FT1000 honors us. It’s a recognition of our company’s evolution at an international level, and also an acknowledgment of our competitiveness in today’s most dynamic industry – the technology industry” – Marius Hanganu, co-founder and Managing Partner Tremend.
Several important variables underlie this growth: the organizational culture, the customer-centric strategy, the strategic partnerships concluded in recent years, as well as the rapid adoption of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, IoT, Microservices, Big Data, and blockchain.
Tremend’s dynamic evolution was correlated with an accelerated expansion of its team, which currently exceeds 350 software engineers, as well as an investment in training and experimental learning programs. To support the growing demand for complex software solutions and expertise in emerging technologies, the company has opened a new headquarters in Brasov, which contributes to the development of projects for global clients in fields such as telecom, banking, retail, media, automotive.
The Financial Times ranks companies in Europe with the fastest growth rate in the region within 4 years. Due to the increasing importance of the role played by innovation and IT industry progress, each year there is a rise in the number of tech companies featured in the FT1000 list, reaching up to 189 participants in 2020.
This year, 11 Romanian companies entered the FT1000 rankings, of which 5 are from the IT industry. Most of the winners come from Germany, followed by Italy, the UK, and France, accounting for more than 70% of the overall ranking. Regarding the hierarchy of the cities in which these successful companies are located, two Eastern European capitals entered for the first time in the top 10 (Warsaw and Vilnius), the first place in the ranking being awarded to London, followed by Paris and Milan.
Founded in 2005, Tremend has implemented over 700 major projects for telecom operators, the banking sector, retailers, the media or the auto industry, its products serving over 60 million end users on four continents. Recent partnerships with Salesforce, Mastercard and Microsoft have contributed to a 55% increase in the company’s turnover in 2019. Salesforce implementations have brought significant business growth, as well as innovation and an unparalleled digital experience for Tremend’s customers engaged in digital transformation. The collaboration with Mastercard has boosted the financial-banking sector by introducing emerging technologies, while in partnership with Microsoft, Tremend offers solutions based on Microsoft Cognitive Services in the financial sector, IoT and AI.
Media Contact
Claudia Popa
Senior Marketing Specialist
M. 0723 953 534
Marius Hanganu and Ioan Cocan, co-founders Tremend Software Consulting
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WITSA Calls for a Sensible Approach to Regaining Trust on the Internet
MEDIA RELEASE
March 27, 2020
Fairfax, VA: The World Information Technology and Services (WITSA), today published a statement of policy entitled “Tech Industry and the Avoidance of ‘Techlash’: A Sensible Approach to Regaining Trust on the Internet.” The paper addresses the growing animus toward “Big Tech” companies and generalized opposition to technological innovation that is threatening Industry development and economic growth, calling it deeply problematic for future progress, prosperity, and competitiveness. The paper debunks the main misconceptions that are associated with this “techlash” and identifies several recommended actions and policy principles which WITSA believes can rekindle faith and trust in the technology industry for the betterment and delivery of the promise of the digital Age where everyone on earth benefits from the use of information and communications technology (ICT).
The paper addresses several important subjects, including anti-trust and competition concerns, privacy concerns, disinformation and election integrity. The paper argues that while politicians around the world are increasingly calling on regulators to break up the largest Internet companies, break-up cases are by far the most difficult type of antitrust action and should be avoided whenever possible. Before governments initiate a time-consuming and costly trust-busting crusade, they should begin with a competition policy agenda that delivers immediate, tangible results. Broader antitrust questions, if they are to be addressed, require a collaborative international effort.
The paper also takes issue with critics that equate big tech with “surveillance capitalism,” the idea that pervasive data collection such as tracking on websites, is eroding all privacy online. However, building and maintaining trust and confidence between all users of the Internet is one of the fundamental building blocks of the Digital Age and all stakeholders have a role to play in building this trust ecosystem. To that end, WITSA advocates a principled approach, which recognizes information privacy as a fundamental human right, and seeks to balance this in context with equally important policy objectives of national security and data protection while maintaining the economic and social capability of digital information.
The paper acknowledges that, in the digital era, false content has been amplified through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, TikTok and YouTube by fearmongers, Internet trolls and election-meddlers to widen social fissures, undermine democracy and strengthen authoritarian regimes by spreading content that intends to deceive, mislead or manipulate. However, rather than rushing to create a new framework for regulating speech online, and risk inadvertently harming legitimate speech or reducing the effectiveness of industry’s takedown mechanisms, the paper calls on policymakers to work with the private sector to improve such mechanisms, while ensuring platforms have moderation policies that protect free speech.
“Over the past few decades, innovation in ICT has brought about untold benefits and transformed millions of lives in amazing ways,”, stated WITSA’s Secretary General Dr. Jim Poisant. “Going forward, policymakers should understand that most people see technology as an essential and valuable part of their lives, and that they seek and desire new innovations and improvements—but that where there are challenges and issues, government acts in a limited and responsible manner to deal with the problems at hand in a manner which cause the least possible harm to competitiveness, innovation, or consumer welfare. Industry stands ready to work with governments everywhere,” continued Dr. Poisant.
The full statement can be found on the WITSA web site at the following link:
https://witsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/WITSA_BigTech_final.pdf
About WITSA:
The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is the leading recognized international voice of the global ICT industry, whose members from over 80 countries and economies represent more than 90 percent of the world ICT market. WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance industry growth and development; facilitating international trade and investment in ICT products and services; strengthening WITSA’s national industry associations; and providing members with a broad network of professional contacts.
WITSA members are leaders in a globally interconnected marketplace. Because the challenges facing the ICT industry are undisputedly global in nature, WITSA members work together to achieve a shared vision on important issues of common interest. WITSA makes it possible for its members — ranging from Mongolia and Argentina to Kenya and the United States — to identify common issues and priorities, exchange valuable information, and present a united position on industry issues. For more information on WITSA, please visit www.witsa.org
Economic mission to promote Romanian IT & C products in Kuwait State
The Ministry of Business, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, in partnership with the Association for Information Technology and Communications – ATIC, organized an economic mission to promote Romanian IT & C products in the Kuwait State on April 16-19, 2018. Representatives of the Romanian IT & C companies participating in the mission were accompanied by the ATIC vice-president and representatives of the Ministry of Business, Trade and Entrepreneurship.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Office Business, Commerce and Entrepreneurship Environment
21.04.2018
Economic mission to Qatar
The Ministry for the Business, Commerce and Entrepreneurship Environment, in partnership with the Association for Information Technology and Communications – ATIC, organized an economic mission to promote Romanian IT & C products in Qatar, on April 15-16, 2018. In Romanian delegation, together with the Executive Vice-President of ATIC and representatives of the Ministry of Business, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, there are eleven Romanian IT & C companies, members of ATIC: 4E Software, BitDefender, GreenSoft, Imprezzio Global, Ingenios. ro, Kuantero, Next Planet, Online Services, Q-East Software, Tellence, TGS Software.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Office Business, Commerce and Entrepreneurship Environment
17.04.2018