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Conference 7.286::digital

Title:The Digital way of working
Moderator:QUARK::LIONELON
Created:Fri Feb 14 1986
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5321
Total number of notes:139771

4694.0. "Certified E-mail?" by USPS::FPRUSS (Frank Pruss, 202-232-7347) Wed Jul 03 1996 11:43

    I was reading 4669.* about privacy in E-mail.
    
    I provide sales support for the USPS Account Team.
    
    The USPS is investigating how they could provide secure, private,
    encrypted mail services, along electronic signatures with the same
    guarantees they provide to paper mail users.
    
    They want to be able to do this without becoming the "back-bone" e-mail
    provider (that would never fly..)
    
    They would like to provide e-mail services in a manner that could be
    used in (e.g.) legal evidence in fraud cases, contract law, consumer
    law etc.  These services would be provided with the full force of the
    USPS Inspection Service behind them. (See movie "The Firm" ;-)
    
    They envision extensions to e-mail user agents to access these services
    as required for official communications.
    
    Any thoughts?
    
    FJP
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4694.1Great TimingVFOVAX::BRAMBLETTWed Jul 03 1996 12:258
    
    Frank,
    
         The timing of your request is very good as we are adding partners
    into out portfolio to include secure email.  Please feel free to
    contact me and you can get further details.
    
    Linda 
4694.2pgp has it now...DECWET::FARLEEInsufficient Virtual um...er....Wed Jul 03 1996 16:281
Sounds like off-the-shelf pgp functionality to me...
4694.3I don't know of any WinMail+PGP softwareEVMS::HALLYBFish have no concept of fireWed Jul 03 1996 16:4112
    PGP is a really good way to go, but the problem is integrating it into
    popular mail packages.
    
    Not to mention the royalties to PKP, and pressure from the spooks to
    use some form of "encryption" they can break.
    
      John
    
    p.s., see the second article of
    http://educom.edu/edupage.old/edupage.96/edupage-07.01.96
    where Phil Zimmerman testifies Janet Reno vastly overstates the
    security of 56-bit DES.
4694.4Return receipt & guarenteed?PTOJJD::DANZAKWed Jul 03 1996 17:045
    re: -.1
    
    Does that also provide X-400 like return receipt and guaranteed
    delivery?
    j
4694.5They would like to support ARBITRARY commerceUSPS::FPRUSSFrank Pruss, 202-232-7347Wed Jul 03 1996 17:1812
    Do any of these provide a Federal Government Guarantee of the time the
    message was sent and when it was delivered?  Perhaps when it was read
    and by who?
    
    That the sender is who they say they are?
    
    Do you have (e.g.) MCI's Contract department's public key for today 
    and if you do, do you want to type it in?
    
    Do they have yours?
    
    Frank
4694.6Certified or Registered Delivery PLUS AUTHENTICATIONSTAR::HUVALBonnie D. HuvalWed Jul 03 1996 18:0123
If the USPS only offers the electronic equivalent of certified and registered
paper mail delivery, it will not be adequate for legal documents. Electronic
documents are too easily modified. Either party can edit the message and declare
the edited copy as the real one, leaving a court to decide which party is
telling the truth.

Truly important electronic documents need "notary service" available, too. At
least one company already provides authentication. The electronic document's
contents, date, time, etc. are processed to generated a hash value. The hash
algorithm is supposedly complex enough to make it extremely difficult to modify
a document without causing it to generate a different hash value. The
authentication company keeps the hash value log, not the sender or receiver. If
the authenticity of an electronic transmission is challenged, the authentication
company runs the disputed document through the hasher to verify whether it
generates the right result.

I believe the authentication company is based in New York. I don't remember for
certain, nor do I remember the company's name. Maybe another Noter does?

Any entity that can bundle secure, reliable e-mail delivery with authentication
services will be of great interest to attorneys and to businesses. Good luck.

- Bonnie D. Huval
4694.7USPS::FPRUSSFrank Pruss, 202-232-7347Wed Jul 03 1996 18:215
    This is exactly what the USPS is looking for/at.
    
    Also impartial third party archive/escrow services.
    
    FJP
4694.8Why not X.400?PTOJJD::DANZAKSat Jul 06 1996 13:3110
    Er, I thought that X.400 provided the necessary routing/tracing
    functions so that you could guarantee the route of the document and
    specific delivery times, etc.?  (Again, X.400 has been 'round for
    years and also does foreign body parts etc.)
    
    So, why would somebody NOT use X.400 transport?
    
    (just curious)
    j
    
4694.9Bell Labs spun off a company to do thisNYAAPS::CORBISHLEYDavid Corbishley 323-4376Mon Jul 08 1996 18:266
Bell Labs came up with a technology to notorize files and spun off a company to
develop and sell it.  I don't know the name tough.  I was contacted about being
a system manager there, but know nothing about UNIX.  They were offering an
equity interest in the company as part of the offer.

David
4694.10The Digital NotaryHERON::KAISERTue Jul 09 1996 06:229
Re 4694.9 ...

The company is, as I recall, "Digital Notary".  They have a tiny ad every
day in the New York Times giving the secure checksum of the previous day's
documents.

If I notorize files will they be famous? :-)  Just asking.

___Pete
4694.11Utimaco ?GVPROD::max433.geo.dec.com::wengerMax Wenger @GEOThu Jul 18 1996 08:4226
Contact Utimaco (Belgium). Uti-Maco have a Teamlinks, security add-on for 
end-to-end encryption and since Teamlinks is X.400 based, you do inherit all the 
transport related features, such as delivery receipt, read receipt, etc.

Utimaco Safeguard Systems safeguard Personal Computers, Notebooks and Clients in 
networks with the operating systems DOS, Windows 3.11 and OS/2. Products for 
Windows 95 and NT are in development and will be available in 1996. The 
CryptWare series contains products and tools for Authentication, encryption and 
electronic signature. 

Utimaco, resp. their subsidiaries Safe Concept and Utimaco Belgium develop 
security projects jointly with the customer. The main focus is on topics as 
encryption, electronic signature, chipcard technology and network security.

R&D Center Leuven

Utimaco Belgium NV                                                        
De Vunt 9 B-3220 Holsbeek                                                 
Tel: ++32-16-440135                                                       
Fax: ++32-16-440140 

Contact : Frank Jorissen, Marketing manager

PS. A few years ago we did a major project for the European Central Banks with 
them.