Disclosure Records of Recognized Certification Authorities

Disclosure Record for the Postmaster General

(This is page 3 of the disclosure record for the Postmaster General maintained by the Government Chief Information Officer ("GCIO") under section 31(1) of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance (Cap. 553) ("Ordinance"). Click this link to go back to page 1 of the disclosure record.)

Assessment Report (1 January 2001 - 31 December 2001)

In accordance with section 43(3) of the Ordinance, the GCIO must publish in the disclosure record for the Postmaster General as a recognized certification authority ("CA") the date of and the material information in the assessment report on the CA services of the Postmaster General (hereinafter referred to as "Hongkong Post CA"). Only those parts of the report containing material information are herewith published.

A. Date of the Report

• The date of the report is 10 January 2002.

B. Material Information

1. The assessment report is prepared by the assessor for the period between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2001.

Recognized CA Operation

2. In the assessor's opinion and in all material respects,
   1. the management assertions in respect of Hongkong Post CA's compliance with the sections of the Code of Practice for Recognized Certification Authorities ("Code of Practice") set out in Part A of Appendix 3 to Practice Note 870 published by the Hong Kong Society of Accountants for the period from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 are reasonable. In particular, Hongkong Post CA has:
      1. disclosed its business practices in its certification practice statement in accordance with the Ordinance and the Code of Practice and provided its services in accordance with its disclosed business practices;
      2. complied with the requirements in respect of the use of a trustworthy system to support its operations in accordance with section 37 of the Ordinance and the Code of Practice; and
      3. complied with the requirements in respect of recognition of its certificates in accordance with sections 36, 38, 39 and 40 of the Ordinance and the Code of Practice.
   2. no information came to the assessor's attention during the course of the assessment that would indicate that the management assertions in respect of Hongkong Post CA's compliance with the sections of the Code of Practice set out in Part B of Appendix 3 to Practice Note 870 for the period from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 are not reasonable; and
   3. based on the conclusion drawn in paragraphs 2a and 2b above, the management assertions in respect of Hongkong Post CA's compliance with the provisions of the Ordinance applicable to Hongkong Post CA for the period from 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001 are reasonable.

Financial projections

3. In the assessor's opinion, in all material respects, the accounting policies upon which Hongkong Post CA's projected cashflow statement and projected financial position for the period from 1 November 2001 to 31 October 2002, and the projection of operating costs for the next 90 days from 1 November 2001, in respect of Hongkong Post CA's operations relevant under the Ordinance are based, are consistent with those normally adopted by Hongkong Post CA and conform with generally accepted accounting principles adopted in Hong Kong, and the financial projections have been properly compiled on the basis of the assumptions made by the management of Hongkong Post CA.
4. The assessor has not carried out any verification work on the unaudited management accounts of Hongkong Post CA.
5. The management of Postmaster General Head Office has committed to provide sufficient financial support for providing Hongkong Post CA's services on a continual basis.

Potential liabilities

6. Except for the inability to quantify the potential liabilities in relation to the issue of certificates, in the assessor's opinion, in all material respects, the management assertion that Hongkong Post CA has implemented and maintained appropriate procedures to determine and manage its potential liabilities in relation to the issue of certificates is reasonable.