Background
iARXIU includes functionalities for the validation and preservation of electronic signatures of documents transferred using the PSIS tool of the AOC Consortium. Specifically, it offers the following services:
- Validate signatures during transfer and obtain evidence of their status and metadata.
Complete the signatures in archive mode, if possible. - Guarantee the chain of trust by incorporating a signature or archive seal into the information package to ensure that the documents, original signatures and their metadata are authentic and intact once they are entered into the platform. This added seal will be applied in the future and automatically to the resealing mechanism for their preservation.
- Archive all evidence in the digital repository, protecting it against alterations and ensuring the exact date of archiving the signature.
Since iARXIU can receive signed documents that do not pass the validation process (for example, due to an expired certificate), we offer the archivist of each organization the possibility of deciding whether to stop the transfer when an unvalidated signature is detected, or to continue the process and allow the archiving of signatures that have not passed this validation.
Operation
When the archivist wants to enter the transfer information packages (PIT) through the iARXIU website, a pop-up appears with the following message.
Processing of signed documents when “without preservation” has been chosen
In the case of indicating the “without preservation” option, the platform performs the following actions:
- First of all, proceed to validate the signatures:
- if it is valid and in advanced format, it is completed in archive mode and the corresponding metadata is extracted.
- if it is valid, but not in an advanced format, only the metadata is extracted.
- If it is not automatically validable (for example, because the signatory's certificate and/or the date and time stamping authority are not valid at the time of validation) the system will leave a trace in the PIA action history of the invalid signature/document identifier plus the detail returned by the Consortium's validation platform AOC. Despite being invalid, the platform accepts its entry.
- And at the end of the entry, it incorporates a signature or archive stamp at the information package level.
Processing of signed documents when “with preservation” has been chosen
In the case of indicating the option "with preservation" the platform performs the following actions:
- First of all, proceed to the validation of the signatures
- if it is valid and in advanced format, it is completed in archive mode and the metadata is extracted.
- If it is valid, but not in an advanced format, only the metadata is extracted.
- In this case, if the platform detects any non-validable signature, the transfer will automatically be rejected.
- And at the end of the entry, it incorporates a signature or archive stamp at the information package level.
The following diagram explains how electronic signatures are validated and processed in the entry process on the iARXIU platform:
