Glue Software Engineering AG as the developer and fence IT AG as the operator were able to successfully put an adapted register of persons of title (UPReg) into operation on 27 November 2021.
The previous UPReg was based on the SuisseID draft solution conceived in 2010 in order to uniquely identify notary publics and to be able to assign signatures to persons. With the failure of the SuisseID e-identity procedure, the essential mechanisms were missing from UPReg. In response to the complete discontinuation of SuisseID by the company SwissSign AG in mid-December 2021, significant changes in the conception of UPReg were therefore necessary.
For the client, the Federal Office of Justice, the following aspects were extremely important:
- Despite far-reaching changes, continued operation within the framework of the applicable law (Ordinance on the Creation of Electronic Public Documents and Electronic Authentications EöBV) is guaranteed.
- The notaries listed in the register should be as independent as possible in their choice of certificate provider and the required signature software.
- Risks from the use of different operating systems and the migration of signature solutions to the cloud are to be mitigated.
The concept for the adapted UPReg provides for the following:
- Since no e-Identity procedure is available in Switzerland after the failure of the state e-ID at the ballot box on 7 March 2021, the identification of notary publics has been placed back in the responsibility of the competent supervisory authorities of the cantons and the Confederation.
- The protocol WebAuthn published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) with FIDO2 devices is used as the authentication procedure. The protocol is supported in the current browsers on all platforms. Whereas in previous UPRegs the notary publics were bound to the Open eGov LocalSigner signature solution, all signature solutions available on the market can now be used. This means that cloud-based signature solutions are now also accessible.
- The adapted UPReg will be used productively from April 2022 and will replace the current pilot operation. In the area of the creation of electronic documents and certifications, the needs of both the client and the user will thus be covered.
Further information: