Legally valid mail dispatch receipts – BatPost 2.22 innovation
Chisinau, Repblic of Moldova – June, 16, 2008 – Ritlabs, SRL announces a new version of the BatPost (http://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/batpost/) mail server that can generate digitally signed mail dispatch receipts.
In many countries there are laws that give an electronic digital signature the same status as a handwritten signature, and a digitally signed document is equivalent to a manually signed document. Using the new feature of BatPost, senders can get mail dispatch receipts that have legal recognition. This new option is based on the technologies currently required and used in government applications.
BatPost signed receipts allow electronic mail to be used in spheres where only registered letters were applicable. This new method of dispatch has a number of advantages over classic methods that are not quite up-to-date with modern requirements.
For example, when a registered letter is dispatched, the sender receives a document that only confirms the fact of dispatching, while the information that was sent does not remain with him or her. Copies of paper documents can be notarized, but a notary public has nothing to do with post offices and can’t certify that these paper documents were mailed. A copy of the dispatched message can be received when sending a telegram, but is restricted to only sending short text messages with a limited format. A printout of the letter enclosure also imposes constraints.
Unlike the varieties of dispatch mentioned, a BatPost signed receipt contains a full copy of the sent letter. The sender receives his or her letter inside a signed receipt from the server; this receipt serves as a proof of dispatch of this very letter. Together with the receipt, the server also signs the original letter encapsulated in the receipt. Such receipts can be used for registering correspondence within an organization and for simplifying information interchange with external correspondents.
Simplification of the process of presenting electronic tax accounts can also be cited as an example. So, if tax accounts are considered by law to be filed at the moment of dispatch, then this moment is determined by the date indicated in the BatPost receipt. This is suitable for the revenue service (there is no need to process the accounts and send the confirmation immediately) as well as for the taxpayer (there is no risk of being accused of non-presentation of the accounts in cases where the letter gets lost and does not reach the revenue service). The fact that the recipient is not forced to process the accounts immediately is vital in the final minutes before the deadline, when enormous quantities of letters are sent and received.
In order to benefit from this new BatPost feature, several conditions are required. Firstly, for signing the receipts, BatPost must use a “qualified certificate” given by an accredited key certification center. Secondly, the private key for this certificate must be stored on a properly certified carrier. Thirdly, the BatPost program itself must be certified in the user’s country for creating legally valid electronic signatures.
BatPost 2.22 can be purchased through the Ritlabs, SRL website using the following link: http://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/batpost/buy.php. The BatPost 2.22 30-day trial version is located at the same site, at the following address: http://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/batpost/download.php.
###
About Ritlabs, SRL
Ritlabs, SRL is a software-development company specializing in high quality communications products with advanced requirements for confidentiality of information transfer and anti-virus protection. Products developed by Ritlabs, SRL - The Bat!, The Bat! Voyager, Argus, SecureBat!, BatPost, DosNavigator, etc. are based on the company's experience and on a thorough understanding of its many customers.
The Bat! first entered the global market in 1997, and today is a leading e-communication processing system with millions of users worldwide. Company's customers range from home-computing enthusiasts to business and government organizations including banks and other financial institutions, the aerospace industry, oil and gas producers, IT software and hardware companies, and a wide spectrum of small and large businesses. Ritlabs, SRL is based in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, city with a long history of technology development expertise.
All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.