Online ID card: Citizens should be able to reset their PIN for the eID online

The traffic light coalition has agreed on an alternative for the "free" PIN reset and activation service (PRSD) for the electronic identity (eID) in the ID card. The German government was forced to discontinue the service at the end of 2023 due to "incalculable costs". The government factions now want to make it possible to change the six-digit secret number online for the first time for a fee and at the same time outsource this task to make the service cheaper from a private source. This is provided for in a planned revision of the German Identity Card Act, which the traffic light party has agreed on as part of its amendments to the government draft of the 4th Bureaucracy Relief Act, which are available to heise online.

Accordingly, the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) should be able to transfer the sovereign powers "to perform the task of electronically requesting the resetting" of the PIN to legal entities under private law through a "loan". The general aim of this outsourcing instrument is to reduce the burden on the state through deregulation and privatization, whereby the service providers are also given their own decision-making powers. The Federal Office for Goods Transport, for example, commissioned Toll Collect to monitor the truck toll in Germany. Bundesdruckerei, for example, could now be considered for PIN resetting. It is currently wholly owned by the federal government, albeit in a private legal form. However, it was said in FDP circles that this company could be too expensive. An open invitation to tender by the BMI is planned.

According to the explanatory memorandum, the possibility of a loan would create "a certain flexibility" when it comes to changing the secret number. The question of the economic efficiency of the performance of tasks "now plays a greater role than before". The online procedure is expected to save citizens a total of around 105,000 hours per year. The savings are assuming that around 140,000 citizens will have their PIN reset electronically every year. Compared to going to the office, an average of 45 minutes per case could be saved. However, the coalition estimates costs of around 15 euros per reset at, i.e. roughly the same as sending a new PIN by letter using the PostIdent procedure. Citizens will thus be offered another voluntary but more convenient option in addition to the continued free reset at the authority.

Data protection risks to be avoided at all costs

The demands placed on potential service providers are not insignificant. They are regarded as part of the public administration when fulfilling the assigned task, with all the rights and obligations of a public authority. For example, they must be able to handle a sovereign authorization certificate and comply with the "relevant state of the art". The operational processes should be ensured on an ongoing basis. Appropriate organizational and technical precautions must be taken to avoid any disruptions to IT systems and risks to data protection and IT security "as far as possible". The coalition hopes that, in the best-case scenario, the companies in question will already have the necessary infrastructure in place, allowing them to reduce prices even further.

The coalition has deleted the clause criticized by former Federal Data Protection Commissioner Ulrich Kelber, according to which private agencies would be provided access to e-passport data and biometric features for travel clearance at airports, for example. According to the motions, the Legal Affairs Committee, which is discussing the dossier, has "intensively discussed" the option of digital reading. As a result, considering the tight timeframe for the entire amendment, it refrains from adopting these legal changes at present. In particular, the data protection concerns raised require further examination. A new standard remains part of the bureaucracy relief package, according to which an employment contract can generally be concluded completely digitally in the future, for example by email.

(mma)