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ODF New Proposal Template
Summary
Proposal owner: Jomar Silva and Bob Jolliffe
Proposal short name: Digital Signature
Rationale
The digital signatures support in ODF is based upon the W3C XMLDSIG specification. XMLDSIG describes only the high level form of the signature and is designed to be extended in different ways, including application specific ways. This is typically done through extending the <Object> element of the <Signature> with additional elements. Existing implementations already make use of this mechanism. XAdES is a specification developed by ETSI to extend xmldsig into the domain of non-repudiation by defining XML formats for advanced electronic signatures that remain valid over long periods. XAdES is also being adopted by Brazilian Government PKI framework (called ICP-Brasil), which is also being analysed to be adopted by other Latin American countries.
The proposal makes explicit that the XMLDSIG signatures in ODF can be extended using the XAdES specification.
Requested changes to the ODF Standard
ODF 1.2 - Part 3 - Packages, section "2.4 Digital Signatures":
Currently reads:
"Files within a package may have digital signatures applied. Digital signatures are stored in one or more files within the META-INF folder"
Insert two sentences to read:
"Files within a package may have digital signatures applied. These digital signatures shall conform to the W3C XML Digital Signature specification [xml-dsig].
Note: Applications may use extensions to the XML DSIG core specification, such as those required for implementation of XAdES signatures specified in ETSI TS 101 903 v1.3.2 [xades].
Digital signatures are stored in one or more files within the META-INF folder."
Insert two references:
[xml-dsig] Donald Eastlake, Joseph Reagle, David Solo, Frederick Hirsch, Thomas Roessler (eds.). "XML Signature Syntax and Processing (Second Edition)". W3C Recommendation 10 June 2008. Available at http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-xmldsig-core-20080610/.
[xades] "XML Advanced Electronic Signatures (XAdES)" (ETSI TS 101 903 v1.3.2 March 2006), ETSI, 650 Route des Lucioles, F-06921 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, FRANCE. Available via: http://webapp.etsi.org/workprogram/Report_WorkItem.asp?WKI_ID=21353"
Impacts
Conformance:
- None.
Backwards compatibility:
- None.
Accessibility impact:
- None.
Other sections of the specification:
Section 2.11 of Part 1 of the spec also refers to the digital signatures. There is perhaps some amendment to be done to reconcile what is being said in this section (that document signatures must apply to all files in the package, to section 3 which says that signatures may apply to all files.
Note: it seems this is not actually a problem. Section 2.11 refers to document signatures but leaves open the possibility of other application specific signatures. It is not in conflict with Part 3 section 2.4.
Workflow (to be filled in by TC Chairs)
Category: CategoryIntegratedProposal CategoryODF1.2Proposal
Date Proposal initially made:11 July 2008
Dates Proposal discussed on TC calls:5 January 2009
Date vote is requested:
Date vote is held: 12 January 2009
Results of vote: Approved
Version in which this proposal has been integrated: ODF 1.2 part 3 draft 7