Electronic Transactions Act · 2008 Revised Edition · Part IX · Duties of Subscribers
39. Control of private key
Official textFrom Attorney General's Chambers, unchanged
By accepting a certificate issued by a certification authority, the subscriber identified in the certificate assumes a duty to exercise reasonable care to retain control of the private key corresponding to the public key listed in such certificate and prevent its disclosure to a person not authorised to create the subscriber’s digital signature.
certification authority
“certification authority” means a person who or an organisation that issues a certificate;
Such duty shall continue during the operational period of the certificate and during any period of suspension of the certificate.
Terms defined in s 2
certification authority
Defined · s 2“certification authority” means a person who or an organisation that issues a certificate;
digital signature
Defined · s 2“digital signature” means an electronic signature consisting of a transformation of an electronic record using an asymmetric cryptosystem and a hash function such that a person having the initial untransformed electronic record and the signer’s public key can accurately determine — (a) whether the transformation was created using the private key that corresponds to the signer’s public key; and (b) whether the initial electronic record has been altered since the transformation was made;
private key
Defined · s 2“private key” means the key of a key pair used to create a digital signature;
public key
Defined · s 2“public key” means the key of a key pair used to verify a digital signature;
subscriber
Defined · s 2“subscriber” means a person who is the subject named or identified in a certificate issued to him and who holds a private key that corresponds to a public key listed in that certificate;
Part XI
Government Use of Electronic Records and Signatures
Part XII