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EQUIFAX
SECURE SELECTED AS FIRST ONLINE DIGITAL CERTIFICATE PROVIDER
FOR SUBMISSION OF FORMS VIA THE GOVERNMENT GATEWAY
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| London, 11 May, 2001
– Equifax Secure, the e-commerce division of Equifax plc, has been
selected as the first online issuer of digital certificates for use with
the electronic transactions that can be submitted through the Government
Gateway - the newly launched secure infrastructure for e-Government
services in the UK.
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| The initial three
transactions enabled by the Gateway are electronic submission of IACS Area
Aid Applications from MAFF, VAT Returns from Her Majesty’s Customs &
Excise and PAYE end of year filing for Inland Revenue. Additional
Government departments will introduce electronic transaction submission
through the Gateway later this year.
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| Equifax Secure is currently the only Government
appointed digital certificate authority that is able to process
certificate registration and issue the certificate online. The
company is offering businesses the opportunity to purchase a SecureMark
digital certificate to enable them to submit their government forms
securely over the Internet. Businesses can apply for a SecureMark
certificate through the Equifax Secure website www.equifaxsecure.co.uk
or via the Equifax Secure link on the Government Gateway site at www.gateway.gov.uk.
Once the simple application process has been completed, the SecureMark
certificate is issued. It takes less than a minute to successfully
import the certificate into the applicants PC. |
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“The
UK Government has announced an ambitious target to offer all
government services electronically by 2005. The Government Gateway is one
of the groundbreaking projects set in motion to help meet that target. It
will enable citizens and businesses to perform secure, authenticated
transactions with government over the Internet. We are encouraging
businesses and the farming community to take advantage of the opportunity
now available to submit key documents to the relevant Government agencies
electronically”, says Ian McKinnon, Director, Equifax Secure Europe.
Continues McKinnon, “The online forms are easier to complete, the margin
for error is reduced and within minutes confirmation of receipt is sent
through. The process is more efficient and businesses can also be
confident that their transactions are completely secure. A
SecureMark certificate protects Internet transactions and secures a
variety of web-based business applications. Everyone purchasing an
Equifax SecureMark certificate can also continue to use it to submit other
transactions as they are made available through the Government Gateway”.
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Further information about online VAT submissions is available at www.hmce.gov.uk,
the Internet service for PAYE forms and returns including P14s, P35s, and
P38As is accessible through www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk,
and online submission of the IACS Area Aid Application for farmers and
their agents is available at www.maff.gov.uk
Access to these departments can also be made via links from the Government
Gateway at www.gateway.gov.uk
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| About Equifax Secure Ltd |
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| Equifax Secure Ltd. (www.equifaxsecure.co.uk),
the e-commerce division of Equifax plc, offers the industry's first total
outsourced e-commerce solution to authenticate identities, secure business
applications and manage digital certificates and directories for highly
secure e-commerce over the Internet and other networks. Equifax Secure
leverages the best of Equifax's core competencies in managing large
volumes of sensitive information and secure online transactions to help
enterprises significantly reduce the risk, cost and complexity of assuring
the privacy and integrity of electronic interactions. Equifax Secure
products include Equifax Secure eIDverifierTM and Equifax Secure
eBusinessIDTM Certificates. Equifax Secure Europe is headquartered
in London. |
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| About Equifax, Inc. |
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| Equifax (www.equifax.com), based in Atlanta,
enables and secures global commerce through its information management,
transaction processing, direct marketing, and customer relationship
management businesses. As an acknowledged leader in information
services, Equifax serves the financial services, retail, credit card,
transportation, telecommunications/utilities, information technology and
healthcare industries and government, adding value wherever customers do
business, including the Internet and other networks. Equifax also
enlightens, enables and empowers consumers to manage their own financial
health with services offered at www.equifax.com. The company ranked
in the top five in return on equity among Business Week’s Best
Performers for 2001. Equifax employs about 12,000 associates in 17
countries with sales in around 50 and has $2 billion in revenue.
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Statements in this press release
that relate to Equifax’s future plans, objectives, expectations,
performance, events and the like are “forward-looking statements”
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Future events, risks and
uncertainties, individually or in the aggregate, could cause actual
results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these
statements. Those factors could include changes in worldwide and U.S.
economic conditions that materially impact consumer spending and consumer
debt, changes in demand for the Company’s products and services, risks
associated with the integration of acquisitions and other investments, and
other factors discussed in the “forward-looking information” section
in the management’s discussion and analysis included in the annual
report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000.
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For further information
from Equifax Secure please contact:
Sam Fulton, Ketchum
Tel: 020 7465 7051
sam.fulton@ketchumcomms.co.uk
Christian Marroni, Ketchum
Tel: 0207 611 3562/0207 611 3603
christian.marroni@ketchum.com
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| ©2000 Equifax Secure. All Rights Reserved. |
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