Commission launches public consultation on e-signatures, e-authentication and e-ID

As part of the Digital Agenda for Europe, the European Commission has launched a public consultation on how electronic signatures, identification (e-ID) and authentication can help the development of the European Digital Single Market.

Difficulties in verifying people's identities and signatures are a barrier to the development of the EU online economy. Electronic signatures, identification and authentication can enable secure and trustworthy online services but must work in all member states to be effective.

The consultation is open to all citizens and interested parties until 15 April 2011. The results will feed into the European Commission's review of the current e-Signature Directive and a planned initiative on the mutual recognition of electronic identification and authentication.

The Commission's Vice President for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, said she welcomes everybody's views. "I want to help all Europeans get online without feeling that they will fall victim to data frauds or scams."

The public consultation seeks feedback on:

• What citizens and businesses expect from EU rules on electronic signatures, identification and authentication. In particular, the general usefulness of e-signatures and the specific needs of the e-ID user and business sectors, socio-economic benefits, fields of application, potential additional trust-building services (eg, time stamping), mobile usage and the legal recognition of electronic consent by clicking 'I accept'
• The ICT sector's view on how e-signatures can be tailored to face the forthcoming challenges triggered by technological progress. Interested parties are asked to express their views on existing barriers, security requirements, potential grading of security levels and expectations on standardisation
• The common set of principles that should guide the mutual recognition of e-identification and e-authentication in Europe
• Considerations for economies of scale by allowing national e-ID systems that benefit users across EU borders and cross-sector uses in the public and private sectors
• The potential contribution of research and innovation to the development of new e-identification and e-signatures authentication, such as alternatives to public key infrastructure (PKI) currently in use for the easy management of electronic signatures, and e-ID cards.

 http://www.sharedserviceslink.com/file/93247/commission-launches-public-cons
ultation-on-e-signatures-e-authentication-and-e-id.html