PKI Projects

The Public Key Infrastructures or (PKI) in the English terminology, constitute electronic certification systems that articulate a set of procedures and standards, legislation and technological infrastructure, resorting to asymmetric encryption techniques, with the objective of providing electronic secure environments.

The Public Key Infrastructures provide strong digital authentication mechanisms for identities and signatures, as well as the confidentiality and the non-rejection of the electronic transactions and communications.

The PKI implementation has been extended to comprehensive projects in the electronic security field of distributed networks, with different applications in the field of electronic Government services and those of the Information Society.

The PKI projects, thus, constitute an important structural advancement for the substantiation of the electronic Government objectives and those of the Information Society, by providing electronic security in the transactions among State organisations and between the State and the citizens and companies.

Within the national scope we have as Projects examples:

■ Entidade Certificadora Comum do Estado (Common Certifying Entity of the State) http://www.ecce.gov.pt

■ Cartão do Cidadão (Citizen’s Card)

http://www.cartaodocidadao.pt/

■ Passaporte Electrónico Português (Portuguese Electronic Passport)

http://www.pep.pt

■ Rede Nacional de Segurança Interna (National Internal Security Network)

■ Entidade certificadora do Ministério da Justiça (Certifying Entity of the Ministry of Justice) http://www.itij.mj.pt/

As examples of Projects within the European Union scope:

■ PKI of the State in Holland

https://www.pkioverheid.nl/

■ PKI of the State in Belgium