Scheme rules

The rules for entering services in the Community ECTA Trusted List, how to read the list, and the terms of use. The list's scheme rules address points here (ETSI TS 119 612 V2.4.1, clause 5.3.9).

Rules for listing services

Services are listed, and their status changed, according to their accreditation by the South African Accreditation Authority (SAAA) as defined under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA) or elsewhere, which cover accrediting authentication products and services that support advanced electronic signatures. The SAAA assesses and decides; the list is just a community maintained record of what those decisions might translate to.

This is a community scheme, not one approved or mandated by the State or the SAAA. The list's type and status determination approach also say so, and the scheme information further explains what they mean.

How to read the list

The scheme information page explains every value the list uses: its statuses, its list type and status determination approach, its service type and purposes, its extensions and its signatures. In short:

• Use a list only when both its signatures verify against the scheme's trust anchors, and only until its next update. A later list replaces it; the previous list digest links each list to the one before.
• Find a certificate authority by its certificate, in the service's digital identity.
• A service counts for advanced electronic signatures only while its status in force is accredited and its purpose is for electronic signatures. A service's history gives its earlier statuses and when each began.
• The scheme operator's own certificate authorities carry the scheme operator service status; they issue the certificates that sign the list, and never count for signatures.

The list's address and the trust anchors' fingerprints are on the page for relying parties and developers.

The scheme policy

There is no published scheme policy; see policies.

Disclaimer and limitation of liability

The Community ECTA Trusted List is a community project. The trusted list, this website, the API and the EctaSign client library (together, “the service”) are provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, availability and non-infringement.

You, as user or relying party, assume the full risk of using the service. You alone are responsible for checking that what the list says is accurate and current, and for any use of the service or reliance on it, including any decision to accept or refuse a certificate or a signature. The list attempts to records decisions of the South African Accreditation Authority; it does not replace them.

In no event shall the scheme operator or any contributor be liable for any claim, damages or other liability, whether in an action of contract, delict or otherwise, arising from, out of or in connection with the service or the use of, reliance on or other dealings in the service.

Nothing on this site is a promise of a level of service, a response time, availability, support, or that a list will be issued, corrected or updated at any particular time.

Where the law does not allow a warranty to be excluded or a liability to be limited, it is excluded or limited as far as the law allows.