The internet gets a growing importance for collective actions. The presentation will focus on the conditions for the representation of interest in the internet and the role of the state. The field of data protection illustrates the discourse and the development of collective action within a political corporate culture in Germany. There are some theoretical implications formulated by Olson’s logic of collective actions and Klaus Offe. (1) Interests prevail under three conditions: small homogenic groups, selective intensives or constrains for joining. (2) Not all groups have the possibility of believable threat. But, in the internet there are very large groups, heterogeneity and only few possibilities for threat. The presentation will discuss these conditions using the example of data protection. Germany has a basic right for informational self-determination (informationelle Selbstbestimmung). Citizen can control and follow the charging and use of their data. But there are no initiatives and important collective actions. Only few actors represent their interests (e.g. association of consumer protection, chaos computer club). The federal ministry and the state authorities for data protection are dominating in the representation of these interests. But the state is also interested on data e.g. for security or social planning. The interest on data protection seems to be strong unorganisable. Collective action in this policy field appears to be not possible. Nevertheless there are debates about the regulation of data protection in the internet and a state centered development of an discourse between political actors.
