Information security is the fundamental requirement for successful digitisation. Directorate General D provides the according foundation by its application-oriented expertise.In addition to strengthening security in  digitisation projects of the federal government in general, Directorate General D focusses on the secure design of electronic identities for people, organisations and things. In the course of this, a wide range of topics is served: The directorate general develops guidelines and procedures to strengthen security, particularly to minimize attack vectors in the area of official documents and their automated inspection. In addition, thematic priority lays in the digitisation of the administration. Likewise, IT security of private and public IoT-infrastructures ranks among the Directorate General D remit – as does the security of the Energy Sector, intelligent transport systems, Public Health, Financial Services, and also Public Sector Identity Management, especially at the border  (keyword “Smart Borders”).

The Directorate General D is structured into three sections.

Section D 1 - Electronic Identities

The Section D 1 designs the technical implementation of solutions for secure electronic identities (eID). While doing so, the sector’s focus is on the sovereign sector, the digital administration and the federal government's digitisation projects.

The Section D 1 analyses and evaluates eID technologies, provides technical requirements for eID solutions, and supports the establishment and operation of eID infrastructures for, by way of example, the federal administration.

Besides, counted among the Section D 1s remit is the examination and secure design of basic technologies such as biometrics, procedures for integrity safeguarding, and artificial intelligence in the application context of the cumulative Directorate General D.

The Section eID’s sphere of duties is structured into the following divisions:

• Evaluation Methods for Applications of eID Technologies
• eID Components and Official Documents
• Chip Technologies and eID Technologies for Mobile Platforms
• eID Infrastructures and Assessment
• eID Solutions for Digital Administration

Section D 2 - Digitisation

The Section D 2 focusses on the design of security in the digitisation of government, economy and society. At this, the implementation of the two principles ‘security by design’ and ‘security by default’ in digital infrastructures contributes preventively to the protection of a sustainable information security.

This approach is aimed to anchor the measures and recommendations, which are developed in cooperation with industry, as an integral part of digital infrastructures. To this end, Section D 2 analyses fields of action and key technologies, supports the design of legal regulative frameworks as well as conceptualises and specifies security requirements and further promotes the implementation of digitisation projects.

The Section D 2 obligations are structured into the following divisions:

• Digitisation of the Energy Sector
• Connected Living and Smart Cities
• Transport and Industry 4.0
• Public Health and Financial Services Sector
• Online Access and Online Elections

Section D 3 - Public Sector Identity Management

Section D 3 focusses on key aspects of the digitisation of the Public Sector Identity Management in various areas of application, as for instance border control within the framework of the Schengen agreement, biometrics in passports and identity documents, visa applications, as well as asylum procedures and also watch list systems and identity registers.

The overarching goal of Section D 3 is secure and efficient Public Sector Identity Management in cooperation with the associate national administrative bodies and the European institutions.

The Section D 3’s sphere of duties is structured into the following divisions:

• Identity Management and General Policy
• Inspection Systems for Official Documents
• Public Sector Biometrics
• Platform Development for Data Analysis
• Data Analysis and Reporting