First Legally-Binding Elections Over the Internet

Hamburg 25. ledna (PROTEXT) - On February 2nd and 3rd of this year, when students at the University of Osnabruck are called on to vote for their new student parliament, they will for the first time also be able to cast their vote online through the Internet - and it will be legally binding! TC TrustCenter, one of Germany's leading companies for Internet security, will be providing the required certificates. These electronic ID cards enable the Internet election to be carried out securely and confidentially. The university election is part of a special program, initiated by the German government entitled "Innovation and New Jobs in the Information Society of the 21st Century". Together with TC TrustCenter, the University of Osnabruck has set out to prove that elections over the Internet can meet all the requirements of conventional elections. "This project is an excellent example of the wide array of uses that digital certificates have in addition to their widespread use in applications such as secure email communications or online banking or shopping," states Olaf Fink, project manager at TC TrustCenter. "This technology could be used for the elections of the future, making the process of voting swifter, easier and more convenient for the voter. The option of casting your vote in a physical ballot box will always remain; it is our aim together with our partners to develop and provide the technical basis for voters who would prefer to vote from their home using a PC." As they vote for their parliamentary representatives, the students will be playing a leading role in a world premiere. "We will be using the "i-vote" software developed by our research team "Internet Elections" to ensure that secure, confidential and absolutely anonymous elections can take place in an open network for the very first time," explains Isabelle Durieu, project manager at the University of Osnabruck. "The election at Osnabruck university is a world first: It will be the first legally binding election in the history of the Internet." How does it work? Before the students can cast their electronic ballot they are required to present their ID card as means of identification; their voting legitimation is verified by means of their student card. The student then receives an internet certificate on a chip card. This TC TrustCenter certificate confirms that the digital signature is actually that of the chip card holder, hence allowing the student's legitimation to vote to be established unequivocally. At the same time the unique certificate also ensures that voters cannot vote more than once. Equipped with a chip card reader, students can then vote easily and securely from the comfort of their own couch. A so-called blinding process is used to make the data completely anonymous, despite the fact that the person's authenticity has been verified. This process is comparable to a letter which can only be read once the envelope with the sender's address has been removed. In the internet election no connection between voter and ballot can be made once the vote has been cast. Your contact person is: Ms Christina Zucker TC TrustCenter GmbH Sonninstraße 24 - 28, 20097 Hamburg Telephone: (+49) (0)40 / 808026-410, Fax: (+49) (0)40 / 808026-126 E-mail: zucker@trustcenter.de, Internet: http://www.trustcenter.de You can also access this press release (as a RTF file) as well as a wealth of background information and pictures on our website at http://www.trustcenter.de/presse. A press photo of the "i-vote" chip card is available for downloading from our Website. About TC TrustCenter: TC TrustCenter GmbH is a security provider; our mission is provide security for all Internet users. TC TrustCenter issues electronic certificates which enable secure, authentic communication over the Internet. There are a wide number of areas in which electronic certificates play an important role, ranging from secure e-mails, e-commerce applications to applications for closed user groups. TC TrustCenter's aim is to attain full compliance with the strict requirements of the German Digital Signature Act (DSA), and to become one of the leading certification authorities in Europe. Our application for registration as a licensed CA in conformance with the DSA is currently being processed. TC TrustCenter is working proactively in national and international committees to establish standardization guidelines and marketing networks for security infrastructures. TC TrustCenter is a subsidiary of Germany's four leading private financial institutes, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, Dresdner Bank and HypoVereinsbank. Digital signatures and encryption: Secure communication over the Internet is based on cryptographic processes. Encryption and digital signatures provide confidentiality, authenticity and security in all Internet applications. The secure transfer of data is based on certificates. Certificates are ID cards which allow digital signatures to be verified encrypted data to be transmitted. By providing electronic certificates, certification companies provide the basis for the internet's security Infrastructure. Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug "PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to be published under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial service providing distribution of press releases from clients, who are identified in the text of Protext reports and who bear full responsibility for their contents. 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