Section 3 of ITA, 2000 : Section 3: Authentication Of Electronic Records

The Information Technology Act, 2000

Bare Act

  • CHAPTER II: DIGITAL SIGNATURE AND ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE

3 Authentication of electronic records

  1. Subject to the provisions of this section any subscriber may authenticate an electronic record by affixing his digital signature.

  2. The authentication of the electronic record shall be effected by the use of asymmetric crypto system and hash function which envelop and transform the initial electronic record into another electronic record.

    Explanation - For the purposes of this sub-section, "hash function" means an algorithm mapping or translation of one sequence of bits into another, generally smaller, set known as "hash result" such that an electronic record yields the same hash result every time the algorithm is executed with the same electronic record as its input making it computationally infeasible:

    1. to derive or reconstruct the original electronic record from the hash result produced by the algorithm;
    2. that two electronic records can produce the same hash result using the algorithm.
  3. Any person by the use of a public key of the subscriber can verify the electronic record.

  4. The private key and the public key are unique to the subscriber and constitute a functioning key pair.

Simplified Act

Simplified Explanation of Authentication of Electronic Records

  1. If you agree to the rules of this section, you can prove that an electronic document (like a PDF or an email) is genuine by using your digital signature.

  2. To confirm that an electronic document is real, you must use a special security method that involves a pair of keys (one private, one public) and a process that ensures the document's unique identity, almost like a digital fingerprint.

    Simply put - A "hash function" is like a recipe that turns any document into a short, unique code. This code should:

    1. Be...

Explanation using Example

Let's consider a scenario where Mr. Sharma, an online entrepreneur, is signing a contract with a supplier, Mr. Gupta, over the internet. According to Section 3 of the IT Act, 2000:

  1. Mr. Sharma can authenticate the contract (an electronic record) by affixing his digital signature, ensuring that it's him who is agreeing to the terms.

  2. The authentication is done through an asymmetric crypto system and a hash function. This transforms the contract into another electronic record, providing security. The hash function ensures that it's nearly impossible to:

    1. Reconstruct the original contract ...

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