One of the goals pursued by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) at a national level is to establish a consistently high level of IT security for all stakeholders. The most effective way to achieve this is by working closely with a network of cooperating partners, whose expertise contributes to the same goal. This includes initiatives, projects and activities as well as events, with opportunities for consumers to get involved. There are also dialogue events and conferences aimed at specific target groups.

Consumer Association of North Rhine-Westphalia (VZ-NRW)

Cyber security is a shared responsibility. As the national cyber security authority, the BSI relies on its cooperation and collaboration with numerous national and international partners. In the field of digital consumer protection, too, the BSI already works with established and respected partners. In March 2017, for example, the BSI and the Consumer Association of North Rhine-Westphalia (VZ NRW) cemented their partnership through a memorandum of understanding.

Memorandum of Understanding zur Förderung der Informationssicherheit von VerbraucherInnen mit der Verbraucherzentrale Nordrhein-Westfalen (VZ NRW).

In June 2020, another memorandum of understanding was concluded with the Federation of German Consumer Organisations e.V. (vzbv):

Memorandum of Understanding zur Förderung der Informationssicherheit von VerbraucherInnen mit dem Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V. (vzbv).

The BSI and the police in partnership

In collaboration with the "Polizeilichen Kriminalprävention der Länder und des Bundes" (Police Crime Prevention in the Federal States and Government) programme at the Federal Criminal Police Office, we provide you with tips on preventing incidents in the field of IT security. We also show you what you can do in the event of an IT emergency.

• Phishing checklist
• Online banking check list
• Malware checklist

Project: "Dialogue on Cyber Security"

The relevance of society and the need for dialogue has been underscored by various activities. During the "Digital Society: Smart & Secure (SuSi)" project, a wide range of stakeholders came together between September 2016 and September 2017 to discuss the issue of cyber security in society, identify required courses of action and propose possible solutions. In the follow-up project "Establishing a Community Dialogue" (2018-2019), the stakeholders worked on various activities, which included developing a dialogue model that would help to continue and intensify dialogue across the whole of society. This model has been implemented in the"Dialogue for Cyber Security" project since October 2020.