NOTARIUS' DIGITAL SIGNATURE : RELIABLE TECHNOLOGY NEWLY ACCESSIBLE TO QUEBEC ENGINEERS.
mAY 31, 2005
The Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, which has about 50,000 members, has engaged the services of Notarius for a two-year mandate, with an optional third year, to launch and operate the digital signature service developed for the province's engineers. In order to implement this technological solution, the OIQ has adopted the Regulation modifying the engineers' code of ethics, and imposed procedures for the authentification of technological engineering documents. This modification aims to clarify and adapt the way an engineer works with documents on electronic media.
A digital signature enables users to employ to their full potential new information technologies, and to increase productivity and profitability while meeting the security, integrity and confidentiality concerns associated with the electronic transmission of documents. With respect to the Act concerning the information technology legal framework, the digital signature offered by Notarius is equivalent in value to a handwritten signature. An engineer's digital signature will establish an irrefutable link to the electronic documents, will protect them against any alteration and will ensure the confidentiality of the transmitted documents.
The digital signature provided by Notarius' public key infrastructure (PKI) serves as the reference model for the establishment of standards of practice adapted to the information age. The rigorous certification procedure established by the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and Notarius ensures a high degree of reliability. The usefulness of a digital signature that is certified by a trusted third party is increasingly recognized throughout the world. However, very few organizations presently have a functional and proven certification infrastructure.
Notarius develops and operates the PKI of the Chambre des notaires du Québec, named the Centre de certification du Québec. This infrastructure ensures the identification and authentification of the signatory and enables the exchange of information in a secure and confidential manner. The role of the Centre de certification du Québec consists of issuing a digital certificate containing authenticated information as to the identity and professional status of the holder of the keys and certificates. What's more, this PKI has been adopted by the Ordre des arpenteurs-géomètres du Québec, the Ordre des évaluateurs agréés du Québec and the Ordre des technologues du Québec in order to provide digital signature service to their respective members. Several other professional orders and associations in Quebec and throughout Canada have shown great interest in Notarius' digital signature.