[DasIch]

Obviously MS is downplaying it but on the other side the BSI creates a huge stir to create the image that it is useful in someway and to avoid becoming an obscure agency that is mentioned only in passing in a couple of tech news articles. That's not to say that what they are doing is bad it's just that their are two sides and the ordinary computer user probably has still no idea what's going on.

[killerpopiller]

the BSI isn't an obscure agency, it fills it's function well - e.g. ISO 27001 vs IT-Grundschutz certification, or newsletter with sec. warnings

[justincormack]

Can you explain in more detail what it does?

[heja2009]

The BSI is in the German media fairly regularly with advice about private and commercial information security and has a good reputation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Office_for_Information_...

[quonn]

Since it doubles as the German equivalent of the NSA, I don't think it is worried about justifying its existence.