On July 1, 2026, the pioneering research project BOSNET was launched, aimed at strengthening public safety authorities in dealing with disinformation. Led by the University of Potsdam and in cooperation with the universities of Bamberg, Tübingen, and Cologne, as well as the Federal Agency for Technical Relief [THW], a new analysis and networking platform is being developed. In this interdisciplinary consortium, Virtimo is responsible for the technical conception and implementation of the software demonstrator.
Smart IT architecture against coordinated disinformation.
Digital disinformation divides the population and ties up vital institutional resources during crises – such as floods or hybrid threats. The latter increasingly manifest as coordinated campaigns spread via social media, bots, or AI-based tools like deepfakes to deliberately undermine social cohesion and trust in democracy. To actively counteract these attempts, BOSNET bundles extensive expertise from science and practice. Associated partners, including the Paderborn Police, Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe [St. John Accident Assistance], and Malteser Hilfsdienst [Order of Malta Relief Service], support the project with real-world use cases from their daily operations.
Full cloud power: secure processes thanks to the VIRTIMO CLOUD.
As the technological partner, Virtimo is developing a centralized working environment for BOSNET that securely combines AI-powered analysis, information assessment, and networking. The centerpiece is a scalable knowledge database for documenting cases of disinformation and response strategies. To consistently implement the requirements of the GDPR and the EU AI Act, a strict multi-tenant architecture is being implemented in line with an “ethics-by-design” approach, guaranteeing isolated access to authority data. For the technical realization, Virtimo draws on the VIRTIMO CLOUD, whose core components include the IGUASU cloud service and the Business Process Center [BPC]. To ensure practical suitability, the platform will ultimately be tested iteratively under real operational conditions in the THW’s AI regulatory sandbox.
With BOSNET, we are creating a technological foundation that enables public safety authorities to act more resiliently in crisis situations. As a technology partner, we are pleased to contribute our expertise in implementing complex, AI-powered software architectures, thereby providing authorities with an effective tool. Through our ‘ethics-by-design’ concept, we ensure the highest security and ethical standards to be an integral part of our solution.
Eric Hochstrate
Project Coordinator at Virtimo
Next-level security: the technological foundation from PREVENT.
Virtimo brings extensive experience from the PREVENT project [2021-2025] to the consortium. As part of this initiative funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research [BMBF], Virtimo teamed up with a research network centered around the University of Duisburg-Essen to develop a cloud-based training software. The software specifically raised awareness among personnel at public safety organizations regarding the detection of fake news campaigns. The resulting insights into the dynamics of disinformation and the specific needs of public safety authorities now serve as a basis for the technology moving forward.
