Towards a secure digital environment prepared for future transactions
Pere Barba, CTO at Víntegris
Article published in the Spanish magazine EXPANSIÓN – Digital 4.0 – Factoría & Tecnología the 19th of April 2023.
Imagine registering or changing your address in the register without having to go to the municipal office, hire staff at your company, and sign the contract wherever the person is, or that entities can verify their identity and identify cases of fraud or identity theft for criminal purposes against his person. Undoubtedly, the range of opportunities is broad and would mean great advantages for all users: saving time, agility and simplification in procedures, and more controlled and trustworthy processes. But for this, it is vital to guarantee one aspect: security. Security is essential for these transactions to be valid, reliable, and to continue to develop.
That is why it is crucial to know what trusted electronic services are, what Qualified Trusted Electronic Service Providers are, and that all users can identify them. They are a set of services highly regulated and controlled by the EU governments that are related, above all, to the identity of people and companies. Its main objective is to guarantee digital interactions. To guarantee this security, there are regulations and technical regulations developed by international, European, and national standardization organizations that define in detail the mandatory requirements to be able to provide these services, both at a technological, management, and security level. In addition, the Government obliges the companies and organizations that want to offer them the aforementioned Qualified Service Providers of Trusted Electronic Services to be approved. To do this, various audits are carried out to verify that products, infrastructures, and organizations comply with all standards and regulatory requirements.
And, how can users recognize them? These certified providers can be consulted in a public list prepared by the Spanish government and the EU. To ensure that the digital transformation of our society takes place while respecting our rights as EU citizens and that the data we share with each other and with third parties is processed reliably, we must know how to identify approved service providers. The way to do it? Always look for the Qualified Trust Services Electronic Provider label.
