The information provided by the BSI in previous years for the algorithm catalogue can be found here in PDF format. The information from previous years that has a direct impact on the current catalogue due to the seven-year validity of the catalogue is listed here.

Only the final information from the BSI, the opinion of the BSI after final assessment of the incoming comments and the results of the expert hearing are listed. In the past, this information from the BSI did not always correspond in full to the catalogue published in the Federal Gazette.

• 2008 to 2015: The final information from the BSI is no different from the algorithm catalogue published in the Federal Gazette.
• Geeignete Kryptoalgorithmen 2007 The final information from the BSI differs from the linked version with regard to the following point: unlike in the linked paper, SHA-1 is classified as suitable for qualified signatures beyond the end of 2009 to the end of 2010 provided certain technical conditions are met. These conditions are described in detail here  Angaben des BSI zur Verwendung der Hashfunktion SHA-1 für qualifizierte Zertifikate.
• Geeignete Kryptoalgorithmen 2006 The linked paper dated 5 December 2005 differs from the final information from the BSI with regard to the following point: the minimum key length for RSA up to the end of 2010 is 1976 (instead of 1984, as in the linked paper). This negligible reduction was defined in the expert hearing and was due to implementation reasons.
• Geeignete Kryptoalgorithmen 2005
• Geeignete Kryptoalgorithmen 2004

In addition to the digital signature method mentioned in the algorithm catalogue, it is also possible to design electronic signatures using

• hash functions [see RALPH C. MERKLE. Protocols for public key cryptosystems. In Symposium on Security and Privacy, Oakland, CA, USA, pages 122--134 (1980).],
• symmetrical cryptographic algorithms [see RALPH C. MERKLE. A Digital Signature Based on a Conventional Encryption Function. In A Conference on the Theory and Applications of Cryptographic Techniques on Advances in Cryptology, pages 369--378 (Springer-Verlag, 1987). ISBN 3-540-18796-0.]
• or biometric methods [see JÖRG M. LENZ CHRISTIANE SCHMIDT. Die elektronische Signatur--eine Analogie zur eigenhändigen Unterschrift? [The electronic signature--analogous to handwritten signatures?] (Deutscher Sparkassen Verlag, 2004). ISBN 3-09-3057058-1.]