The Hessen data protection authority ('HBDI') announced, on 24 October 2022, that it, along with the Ministry for Digital Strategy and Development, had reached a milestone towards a data protection-compliant video conference system for the Hessian state administration. In particular, the HBDI stated that this transpired after the Minister for Digital Strategy and Development approached the HBDI with the project of introducing a new video conference system, which led the HBDI to accompany the project from the start and advise on the data protection requirements with regard to the same.

In this regard, commenting on the award of the contract for the development of the video conference system, Dr. Alexander Roßnagel of the HBDI noted that "In this solution based on open source software [the data protection-compliant video conference system], I see a promising basis for the project phases that are now to follow and will continue to actively support the project in an advisory capacity. The current example also makes it clear that there are different data protection-compliant alternatives available for video conferencing systems. Those responsible are therefore not forced to resort to solutions that are problematic under data protection law, but can instead exercise their digital sovereignty through an independent, express self-determined and safe product selection".

You can read the press release, only available in German, here.