Met and PKI

[Donald ramsbottom]

Link from CW360 same as post on PGP and HMG, both are referred to on the
same page.




"The Metropolitan Police is implementing new encryption
technology on its network in a bid to improve the security of
access to sensitive information such as criminal records.

The Met, the largest police force in the UK, will use Baltimore
Technologies' Unicert public key infrastructure (PKI) system to
secure and authenticate the 50,000 members of the force, to
ensure that only trusted users have access to information on
police databases. It will be used alongside existing security
systems.

The initial application is being rolled out to 3,000 users who will
all be issued with digital certificates on smartcards. They will be
able to access the application remotely over a virtual private
network.

Baltimore expects that future applications such as secure
e-mail and other database applications will be rolled out to the
entire force.

PKI is a set of tools that secure a network by providing each
user with a digital identity, through a smartcard, which is
authenticated by a central digital certificate authority. Research
group Datamonitor this week predicted that global investment in
PKI products and services will grow from =A3300m in last year to
=A32.35bn in 2006.

"Digital certificates give our members the confidence and
security necessary to enable secure access to vital information,"
said Royston Barker, head of the Met's infrastructure
programme.

"They help to ensure that transaction information remains
secure and confidential and that only authorised parties can
access specific databases," he added.

Daniel Thomas"




Donald Ramsbottom BA LLb (Hons) PGdip
Ramsbottom & Co Solicitors
Internet and Global Encryption Law Specialists & General UK  Law Matters
5 Seagrove Avenue Hayling Island Hampshire UK
Tel (44) 023 9246 5931 Fax (44) 023 9246 8349
Regulated by the Law Society in the conduct of Investment business
Service by Fax or Email NOT accepted