[The electronic signature]

This article explains the basic concept of electronic signatures, raises the question of encryption standards ("asymmetrische Kryptographie") and analyzes the legal requirements for a safe IT-infrastructure. The "Gesetz über die elektronische Signatur" focuses on trust centers (certification-service-providers) identifying their customers, generating private and public keys and being responsible for the "online-identity" of their customers. In addition, the German Government has proposed a "Formanpassungsgesetz" in order to implement the EC-Directive on a Community framework for electronic signatures; according to the directive Member States have to ensure that "qualified" electronic signatures satisfy the legal requirements of a signature in relation to data in electronic form in the same manner as a hand-written signature satisfies those requirements in relation to paper based data and are admissible as evidence in legal proceedings.