 
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why don't you supply software to generate a hash
digest on my own computer that I can send for your system
to sign and publish?
International encryption export laws are the
tantamount reason not to do this. Encryption laws vary
from country to country so the most common legal
denominator is for you to send your file over an
encrypted channel that is legal to use for either end
point and have it digitally signed here with full
strength cryptographic tools.
2. Why do I need to submit my private information of
record over the secure SSL connection when notarizing a
file?
The most important reason is to attach unique secret
information to your file before it is digitally signed
and that information is irrecoverably discarded. You must
keep that secret information secret. Only in the event of
a challenge to your file's notarization certificate would
you ever provide this information. Anything you enter as
private information of record that does not appear in the
published notarization certificate is considered secret.
You should NEVER reveal your notarization secret
information, unless verifying against a challenge to
your certificate using this server! Compromising this
information will break the certainty of your identity as
the notarization requestor!
3. How does Entropia Internet Notary Service differ
from a Notary Public?
Aside from the signature being digitally applied, this
service serves solely to witness the existence of a
specific electronic file at a specific point in time, and
so long as you keep your secret information undisclosed
to others, it can be demonstrated that it was you who
notarized the file.
If you digitally sign your file using your own secret
keys before having it notarized, this would be considered
legally binding under some pending legislative bills.
4. In the event my notarization certificate is
challenged, how do I demonstrate it was I who in fact did
submit my particular file at a particular point in time?
The necessary ingredients are: (1) the original
[byte-for-byte] file notarized, (2) a copy of your file's
notarization certificate, (3) your secret information -
anything you entered as private information of record
that does not appear in the published notarization
certificate - your pass phrase and maybe e-mail address
and name. This is used to reconstruct the original
information, attach it to the original file, and generate
a new digital signature. If the published signature and
the new signature compare exactly, you are vindicated.
5. What do you do with my sensitive document,
proprietary image or file once it has been notarized?
Once the digital signature of your file is generated -
even before your notarization certificate is published -
the file is not only deleted, but scrubbed from
the Entropia server. This means that even a disk sector
utility could never recover the file. Likewise, your
private information is scrubbed with it. The sole trace
of your file having been on the server is your published
public digital notarization certificate.
6. What does this service do that the USPS or
I.T.Consultancy Ltd. PGP digital e-mail stamping service
doesn't do?
The USPS and I.T.Consultancy Ltd. systems are not
intended for sensitive documents. The stamping service
digitally signs your e-mail message very much like this
service, but your e-mail message can be intercepted both
on its way to the stamping service and from there to its
destination, and its contents divulged. A second
difference is that the digital signature certificate is
not published and managed for public record by those
services.
7. How long is a digital notarization certificate
valid?
During this initial trial period, for at least 5
calendar years from the time it was created, barring
changes mandated by any new laws.
8. If I want to remove a published notarization
certificate, what should I do?
Send an e-mail message identifying the certificate.
You will be asked to prove you submitted the
notarization. If you do, it will be deleted as requested.
Please refer to the challenge process reply to question
3.
9. How much does it cost? Will there ever be a
notarization charge?
Notarization and certificate publication services are
free for an indefinite limited time. Very modest
per-certificate or per-file-size charges may later be
levied for users except those from schools, universities,
non-profit organizations and selected government entities
(.edu, .gov, and .org Internet domains.) Of course, this
drums up potential future business :-).
10. How are notarization certificates organized in
the public repository of record? How do I reference
a published certificate?
They are sorted in ascending order first by
Notarization Serial ID, then file name. You may reference
your certificate by the Serial ID or by hyperlink from
your web document.
(c) 1997 Entropia
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