Berlin's city hall experiences IT failures. - IT disruptions affect Berlin's citizen service centers
Getting a government-related task done in Berlin might prove tricky these days as several citizen offices grapple with IT hiccups. In an exclusive chat with DPA, Senate spokeswoman Christine Richter shed some light on the matter, "We've got a database malfunction on our hands right now, causing a specialized application to go kaput. This means some restrictions are in play."
The problem has sent the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district office reeling. They've been wrestling with the VOIS application since morning, with the State Office for Citizen and Ordnungsangelegenheiten busting a gut to get it back online. In the meantime, customers arebeing handled through written procedures or with quick appointments.
Services across multiple districts, such as Treptow-Köpenick, Marzahn-Hellersdorf, and Mitte, have also felt the sting. Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, on the other hand, could only manage authentications and document issuance. Meanwhile, Tempelhof-Schöneberg has been grappling with the VOIS application issue since 6:30 a.m. today, leaving only document pick-ups, registrations, and new appointments on the table.
The Tempelhof-Schöneberg team has yet to tackle the root of the problem—RBB reports it's a city-wide IT issue, although none of the senate has provided official word on the matter.
Criticism has been pouring in from all quarters, with FDP state chairman Christoph Meyer slamming the Senate, "The IT infrastructure crash reveals that cybersecurity and digitization projects continue to be neglected by the Senate."
With citizens and businesses relying on these digital administrative services, hiccups like these undermine trust, Meyer contends. It's about time the Senate seriously invested in modern, secure, and fail-safe IT systems—the digitization of administration should not be a fair-weather project.
Recent months have been a turbulent time for Berlin's IT infrastructure. A major cyberattack on Land Berlin's internet portal left many of its information services and other authorities' websites inaccessible or restricted. The State Criminal Police Office is investigating for computer sabotage. However, as of now, there's no evidence to suggest the current IT issues in the citizen offices are linked to a similar attack.
- Citizen Office
- Service
- Berlin
- Restriction
- Christine Richter
- Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg District Office
- Digitization
- criticism
- Trust
- The current issue with the IT system in Berlin's citizen offices is causing service limitations, as stated by Senate spokeswoman Christine Richter.
- The Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district office is struggling with the VOIS application, with the State Office for Citizen and Ordnungsangelegenheiten working to resolve the issue.
- The VOIS application has also been problematic for services in several other districts of Berlin, including Treptow-Köpenick, Marzahn-Hellersdorf, and Mitte.
- Criticism of the Senate's handling of the IT issues has been widespread, with FDP state chairman Christoph Meyer accusing the Senate of neglecting cybersecurity and digitization projects.
