ABA digital signature guidelines
Encyclopedia
The ABA digital signature guidelines are a set of guidelines published on 1 August 1996 by the American Bar Association
(ABA) Section of Science and Technology Law. The authors are members of the Section's Information Security Committee. The document was the first overview of principles and a framework for the use of digital signature
s and authentication
in electronic commerce from a legal viewpoint, including technologies such as certificate authorities
and public key infrastructure
(PKI). The guidelines were a product of a four-year collaboration by 70 lawyer
s and technical experts from a dozen countries, and have been adopted as the model for legislation by some states in the US
, including Florida
and Utah
.
The Digital Signature Guidelines were followed by the Public Key Infrastructure Assessment Guidelines published by the ABA in 2003.
A similar effort was undertaken in Slovenia by the Digital Signature Working Group (within the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS)).
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
(ABA) Section of Science and Technology Law. The authors are members of the Section's Information Security Committee. The document was the first overview of principles and a framework for the use of digital signature
Digital signature
A digital signature or digital signature scheme is a mathematical scheme for demonstrating the authenticity of a digital message or document. A valid digital signature gives a recipient reason to believe that the message was created by a known sender, and that it was not altered in transit...
s and authentication
Authentication
Authentication is the act of confirming the truth of an attribute of a datum or entity...
in electronic commerce from a legal viewpoint, including technologies such as certificate authorities
Certificate authority
In cryptography, a certificate authority, or certification authority, is an entity that issues digital certificates. The digital certificate certifies the ownership of a public key by the named subject of the certificate...
and public key infrastructure
Public key infrastructure
Public Key Infrastructure is a set of hardware, software, people, policies, and procedures needed to create, manage, distribute, use, store, and revoke digital certificates. In cryptography, a PKI is an arrangement that binds public keys with respective user identities by means of a certificate...
(PKI). The guidelines were a product of a four-year collaboration by 70 lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s and technical experts from a dozen countries, and have been adopted as the model for legislation by some states in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
The Digital Signature Guidelines were followed by the Public Key Infrastructure Assessment Guidelines published by the ABA in 2003.
A similar effort was undertaken in Slovenia by the Digital Signature Working Group (within the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (CCIS)).