Publications
Digital Agenda
Article IT & Internet policy
The digital revolution affects all areas of society. This offers many opportunities, but also involves numerous challenges, such as protecting freedom and the individual's right of self-determination on the Internet as well as ensuring the security of IT systems and digital infrastructures.
With its Digital Agenda 2014 - 2017 the Federal Government has drawn up a comprehensive strategy for guiding and shaping the ongoing process of digitization.
The Digital Agenda is focused on three core aims:
- To further explore and exploit the innovative capacity of our country in order to enable further growth and employment;
- To support the nationwide expansion of high-speed networks and enhance digital media literacy across all generations in order to improve access and public participation;
- To improve the security and safety of IT systems and services in order to increase trust among the public and the business sector.
The Digital Agenda comprises seven areas of action. The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community plays a particularly important role in the following areas: innovative government, digital society and security, and protection and trust for society and business.
Innovative government
Innovative government means taking an active and positive approach to interactive communication with citizens and businesses and offering time-saving, user-friendly public services. This includes making government data available to the public (open data) allowing them to take advantage of the potential of such data.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior advocates the idea of a digital Germany serving its citizens and supports efficient electronic processes in the public administration. Under the government programme "Digital Public Administration 2020" numerous projects will be specified and implemented.
Digital society
The Internet offers users greater freedom and better opportunities to participate. Therefore, the Federal Government wants to strengthen people's Internet skills with the aim of creating a digital civil society in which all segments of society are represented.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community therefore supports an active network policy oriented towards the digital lives of all citizens and aimed at creating the necessary framework conditions. For example, the Ministry will provide more support for measures promoting digital civic engagement.
Security, protection and trust for society and business
Digital communications, electronic transactions of citizens and businesses as well as business models of the network industry all depend on trust in the security and safety of IT systems and services. This is why the Digital Agenda focuses on data and information security as an issue affecting all aspects of digitization.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community will improve the protection of citizens and businesses on the Internet. It will develop and enhance regulations for cybersecurity and the protection of critical infrastructures of the government, the business sector and society, modernize data protection and strengthen the IT security industry.
