Jamaica transitioning to a paperless society through PKI – Vaz
Government is continuing its build out of Jamaica’s public key infrastructure under the provisions of the Electronic Transactions Act.
The provisions of the Act allow a certifying authority to carry out the functions of issuing and regulating the use of public and private key infrastructures.
A Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) refers to a system for the creation, storage and distribution of digital certificates, which are used to verify that a particular public key belongs to a certain entity.
“The implementation of the PKI system is intended to revolutionise the way we do business and facilitate the creation and use of digital signatures for electronic transactions,” said Daryl Vaz, the Minister of Science, Energy and Technology.
He added that this was “critical for the transition to a paperless society”.
Vaz made the comments during his recent contribution to the Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives.
The minister explained that Jamaica’s national PKI incorporates policies, institutions and technologies that will manage the distribution, authentication and revocation of digital certificates – the digital equivalent of a handwritten signature or seal.
He noted that as of December, 2021, eGov Jamaica was designated the certifying authority for the national PKI under the Electronic Transactions Act. He said the entity is poised to transition to the Information and Communication Technology Authority and as such, its designation at this time is most appropriate.
