Politics · de.indymedia · · 59m
Bundestag debates digital wallet: 100 days before the launch, criticism of “d‑you” is growing
Deutsch (original) · Auto-translated to English
Symbolbild · Jörg Braukmann / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The digital wallet is scheduled to launch in Germany at the beginning of January. But there are problems with security, data protection and the preparations in the municipalities. Opposition and consumer advocates warn of a loss of trust.
In exactly 100 days the digital wallet will be “https://netzpolitik.org/2026/neuer-name-alte-baustellen-das-sind-die-hue...-you“ will be launched nationwide – even ifhttps://netzpolitik.org/2026/neuer-name-alte-baustellen-das-sind-die-hue...smaller than planned. At the beginning, only the ID card function should be usable, followed later by a driver's license and proof of photo. Only then will further functions be added gradually.
For the start on January 2nd, 2027, Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger (CDU) has two things in particular in focus: “Security is our responsibility, self-determination is your right,” said the minister yesterday in the Bundestag. For security, ensure that evidence is stored encrypted in the digital wallet. Self-determination means that use remains voluntary and users decide which data they pass on.
Criticism of inadequate security
Rebecca Lenhard from the Greens is not convinced. In the Bundestag debate, the MP criticized the wallet's launchhttps://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/21/073/2107319.pdf">neitherPseudonymsalso offers a zero-knowledge proof.
Both are procedures that users can use to protect their identity and personal data from excessive access by companies and authorities. They should be able to identify themselves with self-selected pseudonyms if no further data is required.
In the case of age checks, data could be saved even more. Here the data exchange can be limited to the zero-knowledge proof (ZKP, in German: zero-knowledge proof). For example, this only communicates whether people exceed a minimum age or not. The EU regulation on which the German wallet is based stipulates that both processes are integrated into the digital wallet.
Lenhard sees the fact that this is not the case from the start as a serious omission: “In the end, trust cannot be achieved with an update, and that is why security is a very important asset from the start,” she emphasized yesterday in the Bundestag.
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Similar criticism comes from civil society.https://www.vzbv.de/pressemitrichtenen/digitale-brieftaschen-d-you-bundes...a current statementThe Consumer Protection Association (vzbv) calls on the federal government to improve the protection of sensitive data. The digital wallet must enable pseudonymous use, selective data disclosure and data-saving age verification from the outset and by default. Otherwise, the government risks that the “d‑you” will be “rejected by the majority as soon as it is made available.”
“If you want to protect data like this, you leave your bike outside unplugged.”
In her speech, Sonja Lemke (Die Linke) criticized the decision to use signed data in the German wallet. Already in October 2024https://de.linkedin.com/posts/markus-richter-134315204_opensource-digita...itselfThe Ministry of the Interior (BMI), which was still responsible at the time, decided on an architectural variant that relied on “signed credentials”. This decision, to which apparentlyhttps://background.tagesspiegel.de/digitalisierung-und-ki/briefing/einbl...very own interests led to far-reaching consequences for the security of the app.
In this process, the transmitted data is provided with a cryptographic signature. This means you essentially have a seal of authenticity - even long after transmission. However, this seal makes the data extremely valuable for data trading and identity theft, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI), the Federal Data Protection Commissioner and several IT security researchers warned independently of each other.
“If you want to protect data like this, you leave your bike unplugged outside in the hope that someone will ring the bell if it is stolen,” said Lemke. She called on the Digital Ministry to postpone the launch of the digital wallet. “Take your time to do this sensibly,” she said to Digital Minister Wildberger.
Municipalities unprepared
A later date could also benefit the municipalities. According to Rebecca Lenhard, they are not sufficiently prepared for “d‑you”, even though the digital wallet is intended to be used here.
Sonja Lemke also pointed out that the municipalities cannot yet use “d‑you”. In addition, there are double structures with the federal ID and the electronic ID card, which hardly anyone knows about. “The problem is not the available technology, it is the communication and the knowledge,” says Lemke.
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A technical discussion between the Union factionshttps://www.markus-reichel.de/Files/2026-09-07-resultspaper-fachgesp...uses this assessment first hand. More than 300 mayors, district administrators and IT managers from municipalities, independent cities and districts took part in the exchange at the beginning of July. More than 90 percent of them said they were still “in the early stages of preparation” for the national digital wallet. There was a lack of a clear roadmap, guidelines, technical standards, interfaces and reference architectures for comprehensive implementation.
“Without this clarity there will be no successful roll-out,”https://background.tagesspiegel.de/digitalisierung-und-ki/briefing/kommu...fearsalso the wallet reporter for the Union faction, Markus Reichel (CDU).
Expert hearing on October 6th
The debate will continue in more depth in two weeks. After the half-hour debate, the majority of the Bundestag referred the bill to the committees for further discussion.
The Committee for Digital Affairs and State Modernization is in charge. He has a hearing from expertshttps://www.bundestag.de/ausschuesse/a23_digitales_staatsmodernisierung/...scheduled for October 6th.
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Source: de.indymedia