Internet
Faeser promises more protection against AI manipulation
The IT situation center used so far by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is already over ten years old and therefore no longer corresponds to the state of the art. photo
© Henning Kaiser/dpa
A technically completely renovated IT situation center is intended to better protect the federal government’s systems from manipulation in the future. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser is now opening the center in Bonn.
According to the Federal Minister of the Interior, with a technically completely renovated IT situation center Nancy Faeser, better protection of federal systems and citizens from manipulation and disinformation will be guaranteed in the future. “It is important to protect our democracy in the digital world too,” said the SPD politician to the dpa.
She wants to open the new national IT situation center at the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) in Bonn today. This year, when, in addition to the European elections, there are also three state elections in eastern German states, Faeser emphasized that it is particularly important to arm yourself against threats from hacker attacks, manipulation and disinformation.
These attacks were not only aimed at individual politicians, but also at shaking trust in democracy. Artificial intelligence (AI) could enable criminals or secret services to manipulate citizens more easily and influence public debates with lies and propaganda. Protecting election authorities from hacker attacks and securely transmitting election results are just as important. “We are keeping a close eye on these threats – and are taking them particularly seriously given the elections this year,” said Faeser.
The situation center previously used is no longer up to date
The BSI’s IT situation center used so far is already over ten years old and therefore no longer corresponds to the state of the art, a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior explained upon request. The new national IT situation center is equipped with the latest communication technology and has ten workstations in regular operation.
According to the information, the IT situation center in Bonn receives around 2,800 reports of IT security incidents and security gaps from 22 reporting points every year. In the event of special incidents, up to 100 IT security specialists could work together in the future thanks to the new infrastructure, said the spokeswoman. To make this possible, around 19,000 meters of network cable were laid.
The BSI also advises candidates and parties on how to use social media safely. It has developed an IT-Grundschutz profile “Quick Reports – Securing Rapid Reports in Nationwide Parliamentary Elections”, which was distributed to the state election authorities via the Federal Returning Officer. This involves precautions for a secure determination of the provisional election results of nationwide elections.