Pushed by pandemic, Germany seeks to boost technology use

FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020 file photo students of the Robert-Koch vocational college get advise by their teacher, wearing face masks in the classroom, during computer science lessons in Dortmund, Germany. The German government on Wednesday agreed on a strategy to boost the use of data for commercial purposes and signed a deal with state education authorities to fund laptops for teachers who have to work from home because of the virus lockdown. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, file)

A person points on a tablet computer in Karlsruhe, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. The German government on Wednesday agreed on a strategy to boost the use of data for commercial purposes and signed a deal with state education authorities to fund laptops for teachers who have to work from home because of the virus lockdown. (Uli Deck/dpa via AP)

FILE - In this Friday, March 13, 2020 file photo the slogan 'It's Corona Time' is written on the chalkboard of an empty classroom of a high school in Frankfurt, Germany. The German government on Wednesday agreed on a strategy to boost the use of data for commercial purposes and signed a deal with state education authorities to fund laptops for teachers who have to work from home because of the virus lockdown. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, file)