What does tScheme do?
‘tScheme gives you Confidence by independently Assuring that the Trust Services you are using meet rigorous Quality Standards’
Latest News from tScheme [24.07.2007]
tScheme welcomes its latest Registered Applicant service – Registers of Scotland 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. Click here for further details.
Archive News from tScheme [31.12.2006]
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, the tScheme 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:
  • the service has been thoroughly evaluated against rigorous criteria by independent experts;

  • the service provider has agreed to keep to these criteria;

  • the service provider subscribes to the tScheme Code of Conduct;

  • the service provider has agreed to act promptly and fairly to remedy faults.
For each service, tScheme approval is regularly reviewed and may be withdrawn.
For further information, or to discuss membership, please contact tScheme
tScheme Ltd
Regus House, Victory Way
Admirals Park
DARTFORD
Kent
DA2 6QD
fax 08700 056 311


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