Third-Party Identity and Signature

What is the third-party identity and signature platform?

Institutions, especially universities, interact with people both within and outside the European Union (EU). Digital administration platforms primarily implement identification mechanisms based on digital certificates and/or credentials from the institution itself to facilitate access to services offered at the electronic office.

Cibersecurity mandates that credentials from the institution are not given to individuals who are not affiliated with the entity. On the other hand, some groups that interact with entities have difficulty obtaining common identification mechanisms based on digital certificates. The third-party identity and signature platforms allows institutions linked to the UNIFICAT identity federation to have a mechanism for third-part identification and signature.

Which tools can use the third-party identity and signature platform?

Those tools and/or procedures that, according to the entity's policy, do not require the identification of individuals though qualified certificates.

What are its particularities?

• The platform requires the pre-registration of the person (self-service mode or through and authorized official).
• The person must provide official documentation that allows their identity to be verified.
• If required, the platform can manage the obtaining of proof of life.
• It requires human intervention from the entity for identity validation.
• Identities are shared among the different entities that use the service.
• The created identity can be used at different institutions and does not require a validation circuit at each of them.
• It is based on one-time password mechanisms sent via email.
• The validity of the identity is limited bt expiration (2 years) or revocation.
• The platform is integrated into UNIFICAT and allows any tool to use it through the SAMLv2 protocol.