Authentication of the French Digital Official Journal

Abstract

France has been releasing its official texts electronically since 1998. The Legifrance website, which helps this release, used to contain the "facsimiles" of the texts, which did not necessarily have a probative legal value. In 2003, under the direction of the Secrétariat général du Gouvernement (the Permanent Secretary of the Government – SGG), the management of the Journaux officiels made a commitment to modernise, aiming to authenticate the Journal officiel of the French Republic diffused over the internet. This modernization has resulted in the design and the implementation of an electronic signature based on a key management infrastructure. On a technical front and in accordance with the findings of a risk assessment, this IGC contains security criteria based on availability, integrity, confidentiality and evidence. It is based on a chain of confidence with recognized certificates, attached to the IGC / A (the root certificate of the French administration). On a functional front, special arrangements have been made, on the one hand to adapt the electronic itemisation to on-screen reading, and on the other to take into account the necessary exclusion of certain texts whose release is limited to paper versions. In the end, the signature equipment is based on a software solution approved by the ANSSI (Formerly the DCSSI). The signatory agents carry a smart card equipped with its own certificate to guarantee the identity of the individuals. At the end of the process, the authentic document created is a pdf file encapsulated in a signature to the European standard XAdES. In this way, the authenticated Journal officiel has the same legal value as the paper version. Both publications are released and available together every day. Every Journal officiel published since 2 June, 2014 is available freely on the website, www.journal-officiel.gouv.fr.