Building Trust in eSign- The Role of Trust Providers

Electronic documents and online transactions necessitate the same scrutiny level as their paper counterparts. There is a need for a trusted digital signature provider to validate the authenticity of both parties involved and the documentation. In this blog, we will explore the critical role of trust providers in the eSign system. Read ahead to find out!

What is a trust services provider?

According to Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 (eIDAS), a trust services provider or TSP is a legal or natural person who offers one or more trust services as a qualified or non-qualified trust service provider. 

A TSP provides one or more of the following services:

• Generating, verifying, and authenticating e-signatures, time stamps or seals, electronic registered delivery services and certificates associated with those services.
• Creating, authenticating and validating certificates to be used for website authentication.
• Preserving electronic signatures, seals, or certificates linked to those services.

TSPs adhere to the stringent needs that ensure the security and validity of the certificates, signatures and keys that are the foundation of these services.

Role of trust providers in eSign infrastructure

Trust providers play a crucial role in eSign infrastructure by providing assurance about the signer's authenticity and the document's integrity. To do this, the identity of the signer is verified and the concerned document is checked as per predetermined policies. Once everything is checked out, the trust providers issue a certificate attesting to the signature’s validity. After this, other parties can use this certificate for the verification of document authenticity. 

Trust providers are available in various shapes and sizes, however, all of them perform similar functions. The most popular trust providers are the following:

• Registration Authorities (RA) - They are responsible for verifying the signer’s identity.
• Certificate Authorities (CA) - They are concerned with issuing digital certificates.
• Trust Service Providers (TSPs) - They provide multiple trust-related services like encryption, digital signing, and authentication.

When it comes to eSign, trust providers have a pivotal role to play. They help ensure the fact that documents and transactions are conducted securely and reliably. Trust providers are great catalysts in verifying the validity of electronic signatures. They do this by checking the documents against set rules and authenticating the signer’s identity. This helps develop trust between concerned parties and eliminate the risk of fraudulent activities. 

Gaining a high assurance level

Now that you know about building digital trust, you can ascertain that the provider you select and the appropriate level of vetting is determined by the kind of trust scheme you want from your certificate. The more strict the vetting, the higher the confidence level. This phenomenon is called the trust level or assurance level you can put in while proving your identity to attain a certificate.

Now, this is where digital trust initiates. It is possible to provide certificates at different assurance levels to several organizations and entities. Such safeguarding is crucial for the creation and storage of certificates and keys and it is determined by the certificate type or level of assurance. This can be a cryptographic token or smartcard, a Remote Qualified signature generating device or a Hardware Security Module. 

There are several assurance levels

• Little security for changes in the document
• Zero cryptographic security
• Simple mark in a check box, document, or user-drawn

Advanced- individual or e-signing certificates

• Local or remote signature support
• Hardware or software-based keys
• Signatures based on private Public Key Infrastructure or PKI

EU Qualified - Individual or electronic seal signing certification

• Face-to-face or video vetting needed
• Applicants must submit identity proof for independent verification
• Must be stored in a FIPS 140- 2 level 2 or 3 smartcards of a hardware device (HSM)

What is a Qualified Trust Service Provider?

According to the European Union’s eIDAS regulation, a Qualified Trust Service Provider or QTSP must adhere to additional regulations to offer the highest assurance levels in the form of qualified electronic signatures, qualified certificates, qualified electronic signature generating devices, qualified electronic seals, and other defined trust services. 

Organizations that are certified as QTSPs are subjected to frequent audits and independent analysis to ensure their compliance with eIDAS’ QTSP policies. In order to become a QTSP, an organization must comply with various strict requirements, such as showcasing their operational and technical abilities and their capability to offer a high assurance level to their clients.

QTSPs provide a valuable service, offering businesses with relief that their transactions, interactions, and documents are being managed reliably and securely. By opting for a QTSP, organizations can be certain that they are working with an entity that is experienced and skilled to offer the highest assurance levels.

EUTL Trust List

A Trusted List is accessible by the public and it refers to a list of Trust Service Providers (TSPs) who have been accredited to offer compliance with specific security policies. The EUTL or European Union Trusted List is a list consisting of over 200 active and legacy Trust Service Providers or TSPs who are specially approved to deliver compliance with the EU’s eIDAS eSignature regulations.

The European Union compels all member states to reinforce, maintain, and publish a trusted list of trust service providers under Article 22 of the eIDAS legislation. TSPs that are present on the European Union Trust List or EUTL offer qualified trust services in accordance with eIDAS needs. Trusted lists are needed to ensure that the qualification status of all providers is listed. 

TSPs in the USA

The UETA or Uniform Electronic Transactions Act removes obstacles to digital transactions by reinforcing the legal equivalent of digital signatures and records with paper writing and handwritten signatures.

The EUTL trust list onboards TSPs and gives them the ability to provide trust certificates under UETA, which overlooks the use of TSPs in the USA. Personal Identification Verification (PIV) credentials are recognized by the Federal Identity and are utilized by the US government entities to gain access to federally regulated facilities and information systems at appropriate security levels. 

Importance of Trust Service Providers

If you are in a business partnership with an entity, then in case of dispute, a secured and validated e-sign is required to enforce all the clauses mentioned in the business deal. If there is an electronic trust service provider onboard then such a scenario can be avoided. They operate under international policies and store signing keys and digital certificates securely to ensure the authenticity of every document. 

TSPs help develop trust in commercial transactions ensuring that digital documents are not tampered with, while helping organizations easily recognize senders. They also preserve the confidentiality of documents and can also prove their origin.

eSignatures are essential to maintain the legal validity and security of electronic documents. On the contrary, trust service providers offer various sophisticated services related to document validation. These services include:

• Electronic seals - These guarantee the integrity and origin of documents when attached to them.
• Electronic time stamping - It shows the time of signing and proof of date for electronic documents.
• Electronic registered delivery service - It helps business partners exchange information in a secure manner. It provides safety against data loss, damage, theft, or illegal alterations. It also provides proof of receipt and delivery. 
• Website authentication - This service helps organizations verify the integrity of a website and its owners.

If you are planning to partner with a trust service provider, then here are some promising reasons why you should do so:

• Saves time and money - It saves a lot of money and time, especially in the case of bulk transactions. TSPs help ensure the concurrent signing of documents even when the signatories are present at different locations of the world.
• Task automation - It automates tasks such as signing and validation of electronic documents. It is a huge relief for enterprises including banks, leasing companies, public institutions, etc., that process huge volumes of documents.
• Source of evidence - Just like eSign, time stamps and electronic seals provided by trust service providers can serve as evidence in a court of law.
• Document security - Working with a TSP ensures that you are working on an accurate and tamper-proof document that is glitch-free. This diminishes any chance of a fake certificate entering your folder while minimizing any security-related vulnerability. 
• Builds trust - As business relationships are based on trust, eSign linked with TSPs follows stringent security and quality obligations, ensuring the safety of commercial transactions and their strong holding in case of any litigation.
• Proof - Whenever there is a need to determine the time and date of signing a document, there is no need to search in ledger accounts. Electronic time-stamping services illustrate all digital documents with proof of time and date of signing. In case, there is any dispute in your business partnership, it will not be possible to challenge your electronic document. 

Bottomline

If you are looking for the best trust service providers with premium eSign services, the emSigner is the brand to go for. We offer a range of trust services such as encryption, eSigning, etc. With emSigner, you will get the highest trust levels and security along with tailored solutions to meet the requirements of your business. To know more about our varied range of services, contact our team at emSigner today!