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What is Denmark’s new Digital Post secure email system?

The Local Denmark
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What is Denmark’s new Digital Post secure email system?
The MitID app can be used to log in to all of Denmark's Digital Post platforms. File photo: Olafur Steinar Gestsson/Ritzau Scanpix

Denmark recently launched a revamp to the way authorities and official institutions, as well as some private businesses, communicate with members of the public through secure emails. But what is the new Digital Post system and does it change existing services?

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What is Digital Post? 

All residents of Denmark over the age of 14 receive mail from public authorities digitally (there are a few exceptions, for example for people granted exemptions because they are not able to use a computer).

The mails you receive digitally from public authorities are called Digital Post (which, handily, means the same thing in both Danish and English). The digital post box to which the mails are sent is also termed Digital Post, however, which can be a little confusing.

Digital Post is secure and you need your MitID or NemID unique digital signature to log in to it. This is because the messages that are sent through the system contain information subject to data protection rules.

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Examples of messages sent through Digital Post can include notification of acceptance at university, an offer of a municipal kindergarten place for your child or notification from police of a fixed penalty for breaking the speed limit while driving.

Digital Post also allows you to write to public authorities if you need to contact them securely.

Why has the system been updated?

Danish law requires contracts for state IT systems to regularly be renewed so that new suppliers can bid for them, as a way of ensuring that systems move with the times as technology improves, and better security is needed.

This applies to Digital Post, which is the underlying platform that supports the websites and apps used by members of the public to access their secure mail.

As such, the old form of Digital Post was replaced by a new version on March 21st this year.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about Denmark’s new digital mail service mit.dk

Do I need to do anything to use the new system?

No. The change to the new Digital Post technology is automatic for users of the system, but you can choose to use new platforms which are supported by it, such as mit.dk. However, e-Boks, the existing platform most will be familiar with, is still operational, just as it remains possible to check digital post by logging in to public website borger.dk.

It’s worth noting that the latter only displays mails from public authorities, while the two privately contracted platforms can also display mails from private companies or organisations – such as banks – with which they have agreements.

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As such, it’s not certain that you’ll notice any change or indeed have noticed any change since the new system was launched last month.

On the other hand, you may have noticed some subtle improvements to your digital post. For example, the new system supports direct payment links in emails and enables you to save appointments, for example with a medical clinic that contacts you through mit.dk, straight into your own calendar.

Both mit.dk and E-boks have apps as well as desktop versions, and there is also a Digital Post app. This is effectively a mobile equivalent of reading your digital post on borger.dk and only displays mails from public authorities.

Source: borger.dk

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