Telekom-Control Commission

Under § 13 SigG, supervisory activities for compliance with the stipulations set forth in the Signature Act are the responsibility of the Telekom-Control Commission.

In particular, the supervisory authority's responsibilities include:

1. monitoring of compliance with the specifications made in security and certification concepts

2. monitoring the use of suitable technical components and procedures (as set forth in § 18 SigG) in cases where secure electronic signatures are provided

3. accrediting certification-service-providers under § 17 SigG

4. performing organizational supervisory duties for the confirmation bodies (as set forth in § 19 SigG).

In general, each provider can decide independently on the security and certification concepts they use. The supervisory authority is only to verify whether the provider adheres to these concepts, to ensure that the provider does not fall short of its own published security standards. Providers of qualified certificates or secure signature procedures are also required to fulfill a number of minimum standards described in the Signature Act and Signature Ordinance. The supervisory authority then monitors adherence to these standards. Providers that supply secure electronic signature procedures can have themselves accredited by the supervisory authority before beginning to render such services (see § 17 SigG).

In carrying out its supervisory activities, the Telekom-Control Commission uses the Services of RTR-GmbH (see § 15 SigG), which also serves as the office of the Telekom-Control Commission.

For more information on the organization and responsibilities of Telekom-Control Commission and RTR-GmbH, please refer to the section About us.