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GlobalSign to Launch Verification Services for Online Election CampaigningTokyo, Japan, Feb 27, 2013 (PRWeb.com via COMTEX) -- GlobalSign K.K, digital certificate services provider, a GMO CLOUD subsidiary and GMO Internet Group company, today announced the upcoming availability of three new services for government elections, Election Candidate Verification and Member of Government Verification, and Political Party Verification. Following the Japanese government's decision to repeal a ban on online election campaigning for government elections, GlobalSign moved quickly to introduce a method of protecting political candidates, members of government and political parties from impersonation attacks such as phishing and email spoofing. Pre-registration for the new election campaign authentication services opened today and the service is expected to be available from late March. *These services will be provided free of charge to all political parties to the extent permissible by Japanese Political Funds Control Law The Japanese parliament is currently deliberating amendments to the Public Offices Election Act, that would lift restrictions on online election campaigning. If the amendments proceed ahead, it is expected that online campaigning activities could be permitted for the House of Councilors election by this summer. The government recognizes the potential risk of fraudulent websites and email impersonating candidates or sitting members and is considering imposing penalties against such actions, but security measures are yet to be fully addressed. In 2010, when repealing the prohibition of online campaigning was first raised, GlobalSign began to develop services that would enable secure and trusted online campaign activities and protect against fraudulent websites. At the time the proposal was defeated, but GlobalSign continued to develop services for online campaigns confident that the bans would eventually be lifted. The three new services announced today for election candidates, members of government and political parties are a result of this continued effort. The entire GMO Internet Group has helped drive the initiative to end restrictions on online campaigning. GlobalSign is offering to provide the service free of charge to political parties, and candidates as part of this effort. Already several organizations have committed to adopting the new services including the Liberal Democratic Party for its website (candidate and member of government verification), the Democratic Party and the Japan Restoration party will implement all three services for their respective websites, and Your Party has decided to adopt the three services for both its website and email communications. Election Candidate/ Member of Government /Political Party Verification for Websites (Free) The site seal displayed on verified sites instantly reassures visitors that they are visiting the "official site" of the candidate, member or party. Election Candidate/ Government Member/Political Party Verification for Email (Paid) The digital signature attached to official email reassures the recipient that communication is authentic and sent from the candidate, member or party. Service Endorsements The following political parties have decided to adopt the new services. Liberal Democratic Party With the ban on election campaigning set to be lifted, the Liberal Democratic Party welcomes this initiative from a private company. Digital certificate services are the only effective method of protecting against website and emails impersonation and we are pushing for these measures to be adopted by the entire government. Democratic Party The Democratic Party believes that elections should be about the voter and for this reason it is essential to lift the ban on online election campaigning. As Japanese political parties push to allow online campaigning, the issue of online fraud is gaining more attention. We are very pleased to see security measures being developed amidst this debate. We look for to establishing a safe and secure environment for voters to interact with political candidates and parties. Japan Restoration Party Incidents of online identity fraud are increasingly being reported in the news media, and this is one of the key issues we must consider as we prepare to lift the ban on online election campaigning. The Japan Restoration Party is very active online and will aggressively pursue measures that will help to ensure secure online election campaigning. Your Party One of the biggest concerns we face if we lift the ban on online election campaigning is online identity fraud and defamation. Your Party believes that the answer to this risk is not to restrict freedom, but to grow Internet literacy by allowing Japanese Internet users to learn from experience. We believe this service supports the independent acquisition of knowledge and experience by Internet users and we hope to see more of such activity. Japan Association of the New Economy The Japan Association of New Economy supports the proposal to allow online election campaign activities, to encourage policy-driven campaigns and increase voter participation. We believe the GlobalSign service is an innovative and effective initiative from a private company. We hope to see more initiatives from all related parties aimed at establishing a sound environment for online election campaigning. About GMO GlobalSign GlobalSign has been a trust service provider since 1996. Its focus has been, and always will be, on providing convenient and highly productive PKI solutions for organizations of all sizes. Its core Digital Certificate solutions allow its thousands of authenticated customers to conduct SSL secured transactions, data transfer, distribution of tamper-proof code, and protection of online identities for secure email and access control. Vision and commitment to innovation led to GlobalSign being recognized by Frost & Sullivan for the 2011 Product Line Strategy Award. The company has local offices in the US, Europe and throughout Asia. For the latest news on GlobalSign visit http://www.globalsign.com or follow GlobalSign on Twitter (@globalsign). GMO Internet Group GMO Internet Group is a comprehensive provider of industry-leading Internet solutions including domain name registration, cloud-based and traditional hosting, ecommerce, security, and payment processing services that each hold the top share of their respective markets in Japan. Other key business areas for the Group include online securities/FX trading, Internet advertising, search engine marketing and online research. In 2011 a new Social Media & Smartphone Platform segment was established bringing together group initiatives in social apps development, daily deals and Android app distribution. GMO Internet, Inc. is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. For more information please visit http://www.gmo.jp/en. Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/2/prweb10479894.htm PRWeb.com |