Virtual meetings and voting (ViVA)
The development of IT and networking has now reached a level that allows online forms of meetings and voting to take place in principle from a technical perspective. These may be either confidential or public meetings, from those with just a few participants to those with more than a thousand. In terms of information security, the following documents can provide support in the implementation phase.
We invite you to participate in the development of the document by e-mailing viva@bsi.bund.de with feedback about the content, and by submitting your own empirical data or engaging in joint discussions.
Ideas and scenarios
How can alternatives to established forms of meetings and voting be implemented? What aspects need to be considered to ensure that information can be transferred and exchanged securely? In this paper, the Federal Office for Information Security provides some initial responses to these questions in the form of ideas and scenarios to support the implementation process at a federal level, in business and in civil society.
Download Virtual meetings and voting
Risks of secret voting
There are risks involved in the implementation of secret voting in the context of meetings. The paper "Approaches to risk assessment in digital secret voting in the context of meetings" ("Ansätze zur Risikoabwägung bei digitalen geheimen Abstimmungen im Rahmen von Versammlungen") from the Federal Office for Information Security highlights the voting principles that are primarily affected and poses some fundamental questions that need to be answered before a secret vote can take place electronically. What are my requirements and basic conditions for the vote? What aspects are particularly important to me in the vote, and which are less important? What aspects cannot be fully transferred from the real world to the virtual world? What alternatives are available, and what is technically feasible? And above all: what risks am I willing to take on?
Requirements for products
If virtual meetings and voting are to be implemented while taking account of individual requirements, a product is required--as a minimum, this means software, possibly supplemented by hardware components. The following questionnaire has been developed on the basis of the two BSI publications "Virtuelle Versammlungen und Abstimmungen" [Virtual meetings and voting] and "Ansätze zur Risikoabwägung bei digitalen geheimen Abstimmungen im Rahmen von Versammlungen" [Approaches to risk assessment in digital secret voting in the context of meetings]. The questionnaire lists product characteristics that can be used to evaluate their suitability for virtual meetings and voting. In addition to the requirements for a product, the requirements for service providers are specified, in the event that the virtual meeting is purchased as a service.
The catalogue is thus aimed primarily at manufacturers and operators of products that are intended to be used for virtual meetings and voting. However, it can also serve as a guide for users, procurement agents, operators and administrators to enable them to select an appropriate solution for the application required.
Download Anforderungen an Produkte für virtuelle Versammlungen und Abstimmungen Version 1.0
Requirements for Products for Online Meetings and Online Voting
This document addresses the need to carry out online meetings and online voting, including the tailored implementation of individual requirements. It lists properties of products that can be used to assess their suitability for online meetings and online voting. In addition to the requirements for a product, the questionnaire also covers requirements for the service provider if the online meeting is purchased as a service. Therefore, the catalogue is primarily aimed at manufacturers and operators of products that are to be used for online meetings and online voting. At the same time, however, it can support users, procurers, operators and administrators in identifying applications that fit their needs.
Download Requirements for Products for Online Meetings and Online Voting Version 1.0
