Authorities speak about the end of Windows 10 support
The portal FragDenStaat is receiving an increasing number of inquiries about how authorities are dealing with the end of support for Windows 10:
Inquiries to FragDenStaat put a finger in the wound of the authorities: They also have to deal with the end of support for Windows 10.
(Image: Anton Watman/Shutterstock.com)
Part of this answer would inspire hackers, reads – – one of many answers to inquiries at FragDenStaat about how authorities plan to deal with the end of Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025. This is when the security updates for regular versions will expire. Microsoft only intends to provide such updates for a further three years in return for increasing extra payments. For private customer PCs, this will cost 30 US dollars in the first year. Corporate customers and public authorities can expect to pay more.
Switching to Windows 11 could also be expensive for public authorities: Many PCs do not meet the requirements for running Windows 11. They would have to be replaced, even though they are technically powerful enough to run Windows 11 – but Microsoft is stubbornly refusing to upgrade and is imposing hardware requirements, particularly on the processors. It is feared that this will result in unnecessary electronic waste.
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Federal Environment Agency unoriented
It is remarkable how, in April 2024, the Federal Environment Agency, of all people, responded to a question about what they want to do about high-end e-waste: "Unfortunately, the environmental information you requested ... is not available". And: Information that is not available is not subject to disclosure. Other bodies are not known. In the end, the office recommends the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection as a point of contact.
In its rejection of the request for information on December 19, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport pulls the de-Maizière joker: "... access to information does not exist if disclosure of the information could jeopardize public security.".
The applicant intends to lodge an objection. His inquiries to the Thuringian state parliament have been answered with the remark that the request for information would exceed the minor effort involved and would be subject to a fee. He is still waiting for an answer from Bavaria.
However, there are also positive examples: The Ministry of the Interior, Digitization and Local Authorities of Baden-WĂĽrttemberg shines with its information on the migration plans for Windows computers in view of the expiring support: the migration to Windows 11 is underway there and will be completed by mid-February 2025.
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