TTP - Trusted Third Party Program

2010-10-11

$/!\$ with TTP-Assisted-Assurance Policy in DRAFT, this page has not been approved by AO currently. So its currently only for archival purposes and/or review

Contents

TTP - Trusted Third Party Program

The TTP program is currently under review by the policy group

The TTP programme will need a policy written and approved according to PoP in order to continue and pass Audit.

* http://svn.cacert.org/CAcert/Policies/RemoteAssurancePolicy.html points to the current WiP Remote Assurance Policy. Has it reached DRAFT status already?

* TTP Assurance Policy (wip) is an old attempt at a policy.

Availability

Important: Check the TTP Availability information for your country.

What is it good for?

Doing the TTP-paperwork you can reach 100 Points.

Pay attention, please!

You have to send the two forms completed by two separate TTPs including the signed copies of your IDs, back to CACert (Australia).
Once the photocopies of the photo IDs have been verified by the TTP they must be signed by the TTPs with the statement "I certify that this copy is a true copy of the original document". The verified and signed photocopies of IDs are then to be included with the completed TTP forms and returned to CAcert Inc.
In case you go for TTP processing, keep a set of all the papers scanned (see below)
We strongly encourage people to use a trackable method of shipment (protect your identity papers)
The timeframe for TTP varies from 10 days to 6-8 weeks, don't be in a rush! (see below)

What do I have to do?

You have to find two Trusted Third Parties. Each of them has to complete a TTP-form and sign a photocopy of your two IDs. They are asked to keep a copy of the TTP-form for 60 days so that the transaction may be verified (by telephone for example). Any longer than that is not required and is left up to the TTP.

Who is accepted as a Trusted Third Party?

A trusted 3rd party is simply someone in your country that is responsible for witnessing signatures and ID documents. This role is covered by many different titles such as public notary, justice of the peace and so on. Other people are allowed to be authoritative in this area as well, such as bank managers, accountants and lawyers.

Notaries Public

There continues to be much discussion on the role of Notaries Public (AKA "Public Notaries") and CAcert. Some of the confusion that has surfaced is due to the fact that the definition of "Notary Public" can be different in different parts of the world. (Specifically, the literal translation of "Notary Public" in many languages, including Spanish, results in a gross misrepresentation of the role of these "official witnesses," i.e. "Judge" or "Public Official." Yikes! Notaries Public are selected to serve 4-year appointments by the Probate Court as "mobile" witnesses for the court...and *nothing* more! (So yes, they are excellent TTPs...but no, they can't get you out of that traffic ticket.)

As a result, the monkier "Notary Public" and the function of said Notaries may be somewhat (or QUITE) different than what one might find in Mexico, the UK, or Australia, par example.

{us} However, if you are a US citizen (or if you are in the US and your home country is covered by the Hague Treaty) and you happen upon a friendly Notary Public (we're everywhere -- from banks to libraries to hair salons) then feel free to have said Notary vouchsafe your identity for TTP purposes.

TTP Matrix

To find out how the English terms for possible Trusted Third Parties are translated into your language see AssurersTTPMatrix

Common questions

TTP Copy Retention

[Q] I'm applying under the TTP certification program. I was wondering if my bank branches need to keep only a copy of the form, or should they have the form plus their own photocopies of my photo ID?

[A] The TTP is only asked to keep a copy for 60 days so that the transaction may be verified (by telephone for example). Any longer than that is not required and is left up to the TTP.

Did my letter already arrive in Australia? (TTP Timeframe)

I've sent my information to Australia. How long should I wait to ask when I will get my point?

As CAcert is a free service operated by volunteers it can happen that these people are very busy with their usual work and cannot check the CAcert mail everyday. Please be patient and wait at least 4 weeks before asking if your letter arrived/got lost.

Numerous people have mentioned about long delays and we are starting to realise some pieces of mail have gone missing or perhaps been shipped to the wrong country. It's advisable to send all mail registered so that in the event that your mail isn't received you will have a tracking number to use to locate your letter.

Currently TTP mail is being received at a rate of 6 to 10 per week and in some cases we have had letters turn up from the US in under 7 days, other times of the year (such as xmas) it can take up to a month to be delivered.

Keep a set of scanned forms

The best procedure is to

scan the completed documents.
e-mail support at cacert dot org, requesting their secure email address. They should reply with an email containing their digital signature.
you should get a certificate signed by CAcert with O=CAcert Inc. OU=CAcert support team
send your email and attached scanned documents encrypted to this address.
then mail the originals to the snail mail address listed on the form. That is the fastest way to get the documents to the appropriate people, and gives a layer of backup as well in case the originals are lost in transit.