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The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Selects VeriSign to Provide Trust Infrastructure for its Online Criminal Records Network
State, County and Local Government Officials to Securely Access JNET Criminal Records Network over the Internet
MOUNTAIN VIEW,
CA, June 21, 2000 - VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRSN), the leading
provider of Internet trust services, today announced that the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania has selected VeriSign to provide managed digital certificate
services to enhance the security of its online Justice Network (JNET)
criminal records application. Leveraging VeriSign's services, the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania will issue digital certificates to authenticate authorized
state, county and local government officials that access offender records
and other criminal justice information over the Internet. This enables
participating agencies to securely access information electronically,
reducing errors in data keeping and decreasing the costs of managing
criminal records. Digital certificates are electronic credentials that
identify parties over the Internet and enable certifiable digital signatures
for online transactions and communications.
"As more of Pennsylvania's state and local officials use the Internet
to link classified offender records and information, security and privacy
remain an essential concern for us," said Lieutenant Colonel Robert
C. Hickes, Deputy Commissioner of Staff for the Pennsylvania State Police.
"By leveraging VeriSign's digital certificate services for JNET,
our law enforcement agencies can securely transmit confidential information
over the Internet -- using authentication and encryption to ensure that
only authorized individuals have access to sensitive criminal records
data."
To enable secure access to the JNET system, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
will issue digital certificates to representatives of authorized agencies,
including the Pennsylvania Courts, the Board of Pardons, the Department
of Corrections, the Department of Public Welfare, the Juvenile Court
Judge's Commission, the Office of Attorney General, the Pennsylvania
Board of Probation and Parole, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime
and Delinquency, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the
Pennsylvania State Police. The JNET system also employs VeriSign's 128-bit
server digital certificates, enabling the strongest commercially available
encryption between JNET servers and those end-users accessing the system.
"The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania promises to emerge as a role
model for other states and localities, with its commitment to ensuring
critical privacy for its online criminal records network," said
Nick Piazzola, Vice President of VeriSign's Federal Markets division.
"By issuing digital certificates to authenticated parties, the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides users with the confidence that
sensitive criminal records remain private and secure, and enables them
to ensure that only authorized users access the JNET system."
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq:VRSN) is the leading provider of Internet trust
services - including domain name registration, authentication, payment,
validation and network infrastructure services - to Web sites, enterprises,
electronic commerce service providers and individuals, enabling trusted
and secure electronic commerce and communications over the Internet.
VeriSign's trust services for enterprises and electronic commerce service
providers are available through regional account representatives, resellers,
and VeriSign affiliates worldwide. The company's e-commerce services
for Web sites, developers and individuals are available through http://www.verisign.com
or through the company's Network Solutions subsidiary at www.networksolutions.com.
About The Pennsylvania
Justice Network (JNET) Office
The Pennsylvania Justice Network (JNET) Office is managed by an Executive
Director. The goal of the JNET Project is to enhance public safety through
the integration of criminal justice information throughout the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania. The JNET project seeks to accomplish this by adopting
business practices that promote cost effectiveness, information sharing,
and timely and appropriate access to information while recognizing the
independence of each participating agency. Intrinsic to the JNET Project
is the JNET system, which is a seamless, integrated criminal justice
information network that maximizes standardization of information and
communications technology across the commonwealth. For more information
visit http://www.state.pa.us/.
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