Online Access Act (OZG)

Covid-19 makes the urgency of a digital authority even clearer

Covid-19 has made it clear that rapid and comprehensive digitalization of all administrative services is essential for the functioning of the state. For this reason, the sum for the implementation of the OZG was increased from the original 180 million to 3 billion within the framework of the Digital Pact.

'Corona has shown us the great importance of digital infrastructure and administrative services on the Internet. When the analogue door to the office is closed, the official channels must be handled through the digital door. The digital door must be opened all the more via online services.'
_{Dr. Hartmut Schubert, CIO of Thuringia}

In addition, the previously planned portal network was simplified: It was previously planned that citizens only have to go to this portal network. Here you should apply for all your services. This would have meant a much greater effort on the part of the infrastructure and organization. You need to connect all registers nationwide. The changeover to a uniform software would be inevitable. Instead, this portal network will now be a pure search engine. In the end, the citizen will end up back on the website of his/her municipality. Everybody who is involved hopes that the implementation will be much faster.

Digitalization 4.0 in the public sector: the challenges

The matter is highly complex, as the administration in Germany is organized on a federal basis. It must therefore be implemented at federal level and then at state and local level. The central body for this is the IT Planning Council, which oversees the digitalization program on a federal level. The only requirement is therefore the law. You need to work out the corresponding process for the optimal federal IT architecture for the various levels. Ultimately, it needs to prove itself in practice. For this purpose, the Federal IT Cooperation – FITKO for short – was established.

Is the digital me safe in the hands of digital authorities?

Data protection and data security is a major challenge. Citizens rightly demand that their highly sensitive data is safe. The various requirements for the implementation of the OZG state that end-to-end encryption and 2-factor authentication as part of the electronic identity card will ensure security. However, you should consider other factors in addition to the data transmission and identity management. Find out more in our booklet or in our webinar recording (only available in German).