Washington State Digital Certificates: Verify identities online to establish trust in business transactions

Washington State Digital Certificates: Verify identities online to establish trust in business transactions

A necessary part of doing business online is to protect digital information by verifying the identity of agencies and individuals.

Washington state handles a considerable amount of online transactions, among state agencies and with private business and individuals. In order to protect this data, state agencies and their business partners have the opportunity to conduct critical online business transactions with digital certificates -- electronic credentials used to verify the identity of individuals and organizations.

For example:

• The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) uses digital certificates to allow hospitals and laboratories to securely submit confidential data over the Internet. Digital certificates also enable medical examiners to create digital signatures on electronic death certificates.
• As required by law, digital certificates allow sensitive personal data to be submitted to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
• Digital certificates grant law enforcement access to sensitive driver's license and vehicle registration data stored by the Washington State Department of Licensing.

"The best way to verify identities online is with a digital certificate," explained Scott Bream, of the Washington State Department of Information Services (DIS). "A single digital certificate has strong identity-proofing capabilities and can be used to securely conduct business with a multitude of state agencies, much like an 'Internet passport'."

The same digital certificate can be used to satisfy numerous electronic transaction needs:

• Identity Authentication: With a digital certificate, users only need to go to one convenient place online: the Transact Washington™ website. Here, in a single Internet session, people can use a digital certificate to verify their identity and conduct business with a multitude of state agencies.
• Digital Signatures: Electronic documents can be "signed" and executed with the same force and effect as a hand-written signature. Recipients of a digitally signed document can confirm that the message really came from a specific person, and that the content of the message has not changed since it left the sender.
• Encryption: Digital certificates allow an individual to transmit sensitive or confidential data to another individual in such a way that only the intended recipient is able to read and understand the message.

DIS has made digital certificates available under master contract, where digital certificates are issued and managed through a single source. As a result, agencies do not need to dedicate valuable staff time to verify user identity, or to issue and maintain the certificate.

More information on digital certificates can be found online at the DIS TechMall at http://techmall.dis.wa.gov/master_contracts/digital_signature/digital.aspx.

Certificates can be obtained simply by going to the digital certificate home page at http://www.identrust.com/wa/ and clicking on the "Apply Now" button at the top of the screen.

For more information, contact Scott Bream at 360-902-3460, or via email at scott@dis.wa.gov.