ChamberCard is an initiative of the national Chambers of Commerce of ten European countries. (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, UK).
It is the first comprehensive infrastructure to secure business-to-business electronic commerce across international borders.
How it has been set upBCC has entered into an agreement in the UK with ViaCode, the digital security service of Royal Mail, to operate as a Certification Authority, for the supply of electronic certificates to business and organisations to be delivered through the Chamber movement, under the brand name ChamberCard.
The benefits
- Mutual authentication over the Internet - with ChamberCard digital certificates
- Privacy and Integrity - through encryption
- Legally enforceable agreements/contracts - through digital signature
How it worksChamberCard verifies the real identity of sender and receiver, encrypts information they exchange so that it cannot be fraudulently read or altered, and enables contracts and other important commercial and legal instruments to be digitally signed.
After a rigorous process of face-to-face verification, a person is issued with a ChamberCard digital certificate. This is a small piece of computer software that resides on the hard drive of the users computer. ChamberCard certificates, rather like UK passports, attest to the identity of bearers. They also include software keys that enable messages, files and other information to be encrypted so that they cannot be altered in transit and so that only intended recipients can read them.
ChamberCard certificates also include a further software key that enables users to digitally sign - in a direct replacement of old pen-on-paper signatures - any computer-born information including instructions and contracts.
A working exampleThe two most widely-used e-business tools are e-mail and the Web. ChamberSign works with both these (and many other applications) right from the start.
As an example, lets follow a contract as it is signed, encrypted and sent to a supplier via e-mail, protected by ChamberCard.
What the contract sender sees and does:
Following installation of ChamberCard software, the users standard e-mail package has two additional buttons - sign and encrypt. After creating an appropriate message, and attaching the word processed contract file to it, the user simply clicks the sign and encrypt buttons before clicking send. A red padlock icon next to the message header on screen shows that the contract has been protected.
What ChamberCard does:
When the sign and encrypt buttons are clicked, ChamberCard software on the PC first uses the senders certificate to sign the contract. It then checks the validity of the intended recipients certificate before encrypting the contract for that person.
The whole process takes no longer than a second or two.
What the contract recipient sees and does:
Inbound attachments that have been encrypted are shown with a red padlock icon next to the message subject line. The recipient simply double-clicks the incoming message header. Within seconds the contract is shown in clear (un-encrypted) on screen.
When the user opens the contract, ChamberCard software on the PC decrypts it. Before doing this it first confirms that the originators certificate is valid. If there is a problem - perhaps the originating certificate has been revoked - ChamberCard warns the recipient with an on-screen message. The contract (and any other attachments) remain encrypted when stored on the recipients PC and are only decrypted by ChamberCard for on-screen display.
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