new rules of process & digital signatures

[Nicholas Bohm]

At 03:18 PM 6/14/1999 +0200, Thomas Roessler wrote:

>Accroding to some reports in German newspapers, new rules of process
>have been adopted in England and Wales.  
>
>Is anything known on implications for the recognition of electronic
>documents and digital signatures in civil processes?

Ian Brown correctly says there are no such implications.  Progress in the
use of information technology by the courts tends to be in the direction of
videoconferencing, remote access to transcripts of proceedings in near real
time, remote access to case management information, co-ordination of
document formats etc.  There is no sign that security or authentication
issues have had much impact.

The Registrar of Companies accepts some corporate documents for filing in
electronic form, but the authentication procedures are non-cryptographic
(and provide scarcely any effective authentication whatever).

Regards,

Nicholas Bohm

Salkyns, Great Canfield,
Takeley, Bishop's Stortford CM22 6SX, UK

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