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Latest News from tScheme [18.11.2009]

Telford & Wrekin Council becomes the latest Registered Applicant for their PKI Service. Click here for further details.

[18.11.2009] tScheme congratulates Barnardo’s on becoming the first Service Provider to achieve full tScheme Approval against the new Idp Profile set.

[15.09.2009] Following the successful trial of the new IdP Profiles by Barnardo's and two EAS RAs (DCSF and Salford), the Board of tScheme Limited ratified the Profiles for Issue. Click here for further details.

[21.05.2009] Barnardo’s became the first provider to trial the new suite of Profiles for non-PKI credential when it applied to become a Registered Applicant for their Identity Provider Service. Click here for further details.

[04.03.2009] tScheme welcomes another new Registered Applicant service – from the National Policing Improbement Agency (NPIA). Click here for further details.

Archive News from tScheme [31.12.2008]

In June 2008, tScheme announced a new Approval Profile – for the providers of Credential Validation Services.

In May 2008, Registers of Scotland with their ARTL service became the latest Approved Service.

In February 2008, tScheme welcomed two more Registered Applicant services – another service from BT and a new service from the MOD.

In July 2007, tScheme welcomed a new Registered Applicant service – Registers of Scotland, who are rolling out an online alternative to the current paper based system of Land Registration for Dealings with Whole, where registration is completed electronically via a secure internet connection.

In May 2005, the five-year sunset period specified in the Electronic Communications Act expired. This means that the Secretary of State has lost the authority to invoke legislative powers to regulate the Certification Service provider market.

In 2004 tScheme published a brochure –tScheme and Confidence in Online Identity– that highlighted our role as a source of independent assurance for all types of e-business and e-government transactions – especially for those transactions that depend on reliable, secure online identities. This broader focus has been developed in direct response to the emerging market need for both internal and external risk–based assurance in all forms of online service (including services offered on a commercial basis as well as those operated within closed networked communities).

In response to the growing market focus on secure identity verification and authentication, tScheme added an Approval Profile defining best practice for newly–emerging Electronic Identity services. Details of the new Approved Service Mark, and of tScheme’s other service Approval categories, can be found here.

See, also, Simple Guide to Securing Electronic Transactions

 

What does the tScheme mark represent?

People and organisations need to have trust in e-Commerce. To this end, new commercial security services, generally called "trust services", are being introduced to help defend against fraud and loss of privacy. So we all need to be confident that these Trust Service Providers, or TSPs, will deliver the services they claim to offer honestly and expertly.

tScheme is the independent, non-profit making, industry led body set up to approve these services and provide that confidence. Membership of tScheme is now actively encouraged across all interested sectors of UK industry, and a broad range of organisations are already represented and contributing to our development. Contributions from representatives of the end user community who need to rely on Trust services are particularly welcome.

As awareness of e-security grows then an increasing number of end users and relying parties are looking for extra assurance before committing to online transactions. In particular they will look for a web seal to show that a website operates to particular standards. In the same way, the tScheme Mark acts as a trust seal to show that the service provider is following best practice.

When a trust service carries the tScheme mark, you can be secure in the knowledge that:

 

 

For each service, tScheme approval is regularly reviewed and may be withdrawn.

For further information, or to discuss membership, please contact tScheme

 

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