The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) has published the first of a series of European Standards to support the European Regulation on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market, or eIDAS. EN 319 403, developed by ETSI’s Electronic Signatures and Infrastructures (ESI) technical committee, enables conformity assessment of trust service providers.
More and more organisations use digital signatures, stamps or certificates to authenticate their documents. In today’s digital world, digital signatures make document authentication easier, greener and more secure.
EN 319 403 is the first standard of its kind defining requirements specific to the conformity assessment and audit of trust service providers. It specifies requirements for the competence, consistent operation and impartiality of conformity assessment bodies auditing and certifying conformity of trust service providers (TSPs) and the trust services they provide.
Riccardo Genghini, ETSI TC ESI chairman said: “The extended and pervasive auditing of Qualified TSPs will create a transparent chain of trust that will trigger several new digital services which will thrive cross border in Europe and beyond.”
Nineteen related European Standards are currently undergoing approval at ETSI. They cover general policy requirements for trust service providers, policy and security requirements for trust service providers issuing certificates, policy and security requirements for trust service providers issuing time-stamps, certificate and time-stamping profiles and digital signature formats.
Author
Tom Austin-Morgan
Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk