Qualified Electronic Signature
Source: Bundesnetzagentur
"There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come."
A Qualified Electronic Signature is the digital equivalent of a normal written signature. It allows long-term verification of the authorship of a declaration in a electronic exchange of data, such as in an email or another document.
The Bundesnetzagentur (Federal Network Agency) oversees the necessary infrastructure to ensure that these "electronic signatures" can be securely and reliably linked to a particular person. The core area of competence here is monitoring the providers who link the "electronic signature" to an individual and make this link verifiable to everyone at all times, in other words, who guarantee the reliability of their customers' signatures - the certification service providers.
The Bundesnetzagentur offers these providers the possibility of being awarded a quality mark allowing them to call themselves an "accredited certification service provider". The quality mark proves that the provider in question regularly submits proof of extensive technical and administrative security checks for the certification Services they offer.
For these approved providers, the Bundesnetzagentur, as the so-called "root" is the highest guarantor of trust, who can vouch for the reliability of its accredited providers.
Moreover, the Bundesnetzagentur publishes product certifications for Qualified Electronic Signature products, issued by an independent third party, along with the manufacturer's declarations drafted and submitted by the product manufacturers themselves.
The independent third parties with the ability to issue security certifications for CSPs' products or security concepts are recognised by the Bundesnetzagentur as (testing and) confirmation bodies in line with specific formalities.
Important information on current topics regarding Qualified Electronic Signatures can be found here.