Authorities odyssey – car registration: no one responsible for data breach

“The Citroën belongs to an old acquaintance with whom I have not had contact for a long time,” says the 57-year-old from Eisenstadt, who describes his great experiences with the – as reported – recently introduced electronic registration certificate. Because instead of his own car, an old Citroën suddenly appeared in his own and much publicized installation app, which had long ago been deregistered and probably scrapped for a small car eternity on earth.

The affected person is sent in circles
That’s why Harald S. turned to the Federal Accounting Center. Reference was made to the Ministry of Finance in Vienna with the reference that it was solely a data processor. There, the representative contacted by telephone in turn saw neither the need nor the will to take action – also for data protection reasons. “I didn’t discover anything for weeks,” complains S.

Then, out of the blue, the management consultant received a statement from the Federal Computing Center. However, the contents of the letter leave S. even more perplexed than at the beginning of his odyssey with the authorities: “I am extremely confused. Because these particular Viennese experts, in an official and very official letter that arrived on Friday, referred me to places like the state police, magistrates and finally back to the Ministry of Transport!

Data concerns
How he should proceed is now a big mystery for the Burgenlander. His biggest concern: that his own and hundreds of other Austrians’ license plate details are being handled in an equally careless manner. The central question of the person sent to the district: “How much data from cars that have long been deregistered is still circulating there? And how many vehicles can be registered with the respective district administrations via the acclaimed app?” Either way, he would have been sent in circles…

“Advancing digitalization also makes it necessary for the government to develop new applications. In addition to convenience for users, it is important to always ensure that computer security and data protection are sufficiently guaranteed. Before commissioning, extensive testing must be carried out to ensure that no incorrect data is processed or that the systems cannot be attacked from outside! “The case described illustrates the great sensitivity that exists among the population,” says “Cybersecurity expert Dr. Cornelius Granig then quietly criticizes. These and possibly other cases need to be resolved quickly.