GERMAN GOVERNMENT DEVELOPS MORE SECURE EMAIL
Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2025 6:21 am
Viruses, spam, data theft, lack of privacy… these are the shortcomings that the German government sees in email that prevent it from becoming an official and secure communication tool. That is why the Ministry of the Interior is developing a law for the creation of a De-mail, short for Deutschland-mail.
From 2010, De-mail will provide a secure means of communication for sending official documents, invoices, accounting documents, certificates and any other type of valuable document or document bc data singapore requiring security and privacy. "From 2010, messages and documents can be sent in Germany via De-mail in a reliable, legally binding and spam-free manner," says German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, as quoted by Spiegel . This is a pioneering project in the world.
The draft law on citizen portals, developed by the German Ministry of the Interior, regulates the requirements and levels of security and data protection that will make e-mail as reliable as certified mail. The intention of the ministry is to promote a uniform standard instead of resorting to one of the security systems competing on the market. Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Post and T-Systems are expected to collaborate in the development of De-mail.
German citizens will be able to open a De-mail box by proving their identity, so that it is always possible to check who is using this secure communication channel. The system will allow receipt of receipts for sent De-mails.
De-mail would also save citizens, businesses, institutions and administrations between 1 and 1.5 billion euros annually by avoiding the costs of postage and paper usage that are incurred when sending all types of official documents by post.
However, the system is not free from suspicion, as the same source explains. Data protection authorities fear that this system of authentications and registrations could be used to infiltrate Trojans. Others fear that this security system also has a certain control function, given the traditional positions of this minister regarding the control of citizens' activity on the Internet and the storage of data on this activity for security reasons.
From 2010, De-mail will provide a secure means of communication for sending official documents, invoices, accounting documents, certificates and any other type of valuable document or document bc data singapore requiring security and privacy. "From 2010, messages and documents can be sent in Germany via De-mail in a reliable, legally binding and spam-free manner," says German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, as quoted by Spiegel . This is a pioneering project in the world.
The draft law on citizen portals, developed by the German Ministry of the Interior, regulates the requirements and levels of security and data protection that will make e-mail as reliable as certified mail. The intention of the ministry is to promote a uniform standard instead of resorting to one of the security systems competing on the market. Deutsche Telekom, Deutsche Post and T-Systems are expected to collaborate in the development of De-mail.
German citizens will be able to open a De-mail box by proving their identity, so that it is always possible to check who is using this secure communication channel. The system will allow receipt of receipts for sent De-mails.
De-mail would also save citizens, businesses, institutions and administrations between 1 and 1.5 billion euros annually by avoiding the costs of postage and paper usage that are incurred when sending all types of official documents by post.
However, the system is not free from suspicion, as the same source explains. Data protection authorities fear that this system of authentications and registrations could be used to infiltrate Trojans. Others fear that this security system also has a certain control function, given the traditional positions of this minister regarding the control of citizens' activity on the Internet and the storage of data on this activity for security reasons.