Archiving of electronically signed documents
The lecture will be devoted to the long-term archiving of electronically signed documents. Even in the digital future, the same security standards as in the paper past must apply. Digital documents must be able to withstand communication with another company or office, even in the event of a possible lawsuit in the future. This will ensure a qualified electronic signature issued by a qualified trusted service provider. But if we want to ensure the long-term verifiability of the document, the electronic signature alone is not enough. The basis for extending the verifiability of documents with an electronic signature is the so-called an electronic time stamp that extends it by five to six years. As a rule, it is added to the document at the same time as the electronic signature and the so-called archival electronic signature. If this time is not sufficient, it is necessary to continuously "treat" the documents and add additional time stamps and so-called validation data. The document that we create by creating this data always has a defined structure (LTA formats) in order to make it possible, e.g. using Adobe, verify at any time. One option that solves the long-term verifiability of an electronic document is the I.CA LTA service (https://www.ica.cz/lta-komponenty).
An electronic signature is not forever. The validity of verification is tied to the certificate and, without further steps, often lasts less than practice or legislation requires. The lecture explains why long-term archiving is important and how the I.CA LTA service addresses it. A signed document can only be verified while the certificate with which it was signed is valid. If a timestamp is attached to the signature, the period of verifiability is typically extended to five to six years, which is the usual validity of a time-stamping authority’s certificate. For contracts, project or personnel documentation, however, a longer archiving period is usually required. Therefore, it is necessary to think about what happens when the original signature is no longer verifiable without additional data. Verifying the validity of an electronic signature is not just a formality, but also a legal obligation in the context of rules for trustworthy electronic transactions. A contract creates legal consequences and often also a financial obligation, so its signature must be demonstrably valid. If we rely on a signature whose verification can no longer be substantiated, we risk a dispute or invalid proceedings. The solution is a process that continuously maintains the document’s "verifiability" for the entire required period.Why the signature alone is not enough
