Management Control
The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community exercises official and technical supervision over the Central Office for Information Technology in the Security Sector.
The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) monitors compliance with and implementation of applicable data protection regulations. In the course of their activities, they have the right to inspect files.
Reports on the activities of ZITiS take place before both the Budget Committee and the Committee on the Interior and Community. In addition, the Federal Court of Audit (Bundesrechnungshof, BRH) audits the budgetary and economic management of the federal government, including ZITiS. and informs Parliament and the BMI of the result of its examination. The budget of ZITiS is published annually in the Act on the Adoption of the Federal Budget for the respective fiscal year.
Parliamentary Control
Parliamentary control of ZITiS takes place through debates, current affairs, urgent questions, and minor and major questions in the German Bundestag. Control is also exercised through reporting before the Interior Committee, the Budget Committee and, if necessary, a committee of inquiry.
Judicial Control
The legality of the administration and the independence of the courts are among the pillars of the free democratic basic order (fdGO). ZITiS operates solely on the basis of applicable laws, administrative and service regulations and is subject to review by independent courts.
Public Control
Citizens can obtain information and submit petitions through direct or indirect submissions and inquiries, which are handled by the Petitions Committee of the Bundestag.
The claim of ZITiS is to be as transparent as possible. However, this transparency has its limits where the fulfillment of the safety authorities' mission is jeopardized. In these cases, the disclosure of methods, systems or products as well as specific information on the activities, methodology and concrete technical capabilities of the federal security authorities must be reliably prevented.