De-Mail

Project field

Citizens, the city and the state

Partners

German Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), Deutsche Telekom

Zoom in

Zoom out

Brief description

E-mails have one major disadvantage: This form of communication reaches its limits as soon as a message is confidential or a document is supposed to arrive securely and unchanged. Ultimately, no one can really say for sure that the information has not been read by a third party or even manipulated on its journey through the network. What is more, e-mails are not legally binding.

The communications solution that Deutsche Telekom has developed in conjunction with partner companies and the German Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) will make it possible to send electronic messages in a way that is secure, traceable and reliable. A requirement for this is that both the sender and the recipient provide unique identification. But the successful delivery of electronic mail can be demonstrated. The sender can request a message that his or her e-mail has been sent, to whom it has been sent and when it reached the recipient (provided the user has selected the chargeable registered mail function).

Anyone who wishes to use De-Mail does not need special hardware or software, just a computer with Internet access. Users register for De-Mail online and must then identify themselves with the printed application and their identity card – similar to the procedure for opening an online bank account. Once this information has been verified, the account is set up and activated. Afterwards, the user can send and receive De-Mails from any PC or laptop using his or her personal password.

Project aim

Following the six-month pilot phase and the subsequent sectoral project phase at T-City, De-Mail is expected to become established as a secure form of reliable online communication for citizens, industry, and administrative bodies across Germany.

Benefits

De-Mail allows electronic messages to be sent in a way that is confidential and tamper-proof, making them as legally binding as a registered letter. Private users, companies, and public authorities will be able to save time and money because in the future they will be able to send sensitive data such as contracts of sale or pay slips over the Internet.

Project status

In the period between October 2009 and March 2010, De-Mail was tested exclusively in T-City Friedrichshafen in a pilot project. There, companies and private users could test De-Mail free of charge for six months. Because of the very positive feedback from all the participants (private customers, companies and authorities), it was decided to continue the operation of De-Mail within the sectoral projects of Deutsche Telekom until the launch of the regular product and expand it to cover the entire Lake of Constance/ Upper Swabia region. Up to now, more than 80 companies have registered for De-Mail, including EADS, ZF Friedrichshafen, Volksbank Friedrichshafen, Citibank, Sparkasse Bodenseekreis (the local savings bank) and several insurance companies. The legal basis for De-Mail is the relevant German De-Mail Act which came into force on May 3, 2011.