Macau Post has established a certification authority for the Universal Postal Union to use for research and development purposes.
The UPU will now be able to deliver electronic certificates, used to give individuals a digital identity that enables them to securely sign e-documents and make transactions online that are legally binding.
Macao Post CEO Carlos Roldão Lopes officially handed over the technology to UPU deputy director general Guozhong Huang in a ceremony in Macau held at the end of May.
The UPU will use this technology to issue a limited number of certificates to International Bureau and other nominated specialists from UPU member countries for non-commercial research and development purposes.
“This is a significant step for the UPU because this technology is normally expensive and complex to set up or procure,” said Paul Donohoe, the UPU’s electronic postal services specialist at the International Bureau. “Many member countries do not have access to this technology so they will now be able to study it and make recommendations on its use by participating in a trial on how to send and receive secure electronic communication, and all at little or no cost.”
The electronic certificates will first be used at the International Bureau to secure computers and networks, including securing the remote access to the UPU website and securely identifying computers authorized to connect to the internal network.
Later, members of the Postal Operation Council’s e-services group and members of the Telematics Cooperative will be able to take part in a pilot on the use of digital signatures for exchanging documents and e-mails.
The pilot will also enable the UPU to do some practical development work on electronic postal certification marks, postal registered e-mails and other e-services within the UPU community.
“It is our objective and challenge to find innovative ways to maintain the economic viability of our Posts and guarantee their social dimension in terms of providing the universal service,” said Macao Post’s CEO. “In this era where the Internet and the dematerialization of paper are threatening our traditional business, we are convinced that these challenges can be transformed into big opportunities, based on a new identity and creative role for the Posts through the utilization of the electronic network.”
The presentation ceremony concluded a two-day conference on e-commerce in Hong Kong, organized by the UPU in association with Hongkong Post.