Germany took a first step on July 6 towards an authenticated e-mail scheme, which will allow people to place legally valid orders and applications via the internet. The scheme, dubbed De-Mail in a pun on the country's web domain name "de," includes encryption to make the new-style e-mail tamper-proof. Users will have to register for the system by personally proving their identity to a public official.
Users were allowed to begin registering De-Mail addresses such as Maria.Schmidt@web.de with the first providers, GMX and web.de. The next steps will be to pass a law by the end of this year and to commission the servers, which will exchange the new e-mails.
Germany says De-Mail is a step to eliminating paper letters. In the past, many transactions were not legally binding unless they were backed up by a piece of paper with a signature on it.