title: [The electronic signature].
abstract: This article explains the basic concept of electronic signatures, raises the question of encryption standards ("asymmetrische Kryptographie") and analyzes the legal requirements for a safe IT-infrastructure. The "Gesetz über die elektronische Signatur" focuses on trust centers (certification-service-providers) identifying their customers, generating private and public keys and being responsible for the "online-identity" of their customers. In addition, the German Government has proposed a "Formanpassungsgesetz" in order to implement the EC-Directive on a Community framework for electronic signatures; according to the directive Member States have to ensure that "qualified" electronic signatures satisfy the legal requirements of a signature in relation to data in electronic form in the same manner as a hand-written signature satisfies those requirements in relation to paper based data and are admissible as evidence in legal proceedings.
authors.affiliation: Juristische Fakultät Humboldt-Universität, Berlin. christoph=broemmelmeyer@rewi.hu-berlin.de
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brömmelmeyer
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification / Q000592:standards; D003195:Computer Communication Networks / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D003219:Confidentiality; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D005060:Europe; D005062:European Union; D005858:Germany; D009862:Online Systems / Q000592:standards; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care