ontvangstzekerheid

Ontvangstzekerheid refers to the assurance that electronic communications, particularly email, are received, copied, and documented reliably in a way that protects the integrity and authenticity of the messages. The concept originated in the Netherlands in the early 2000s as part of an effort to bring email to the same legal footing as traditional paper correspondence. Under Dutch law, parties may request that a recipient certifies that an email has indeed been received in its entirety and that no alterations have been made. The certification can be provided by independent Service Providers who archive the message content and metadata, creating a verifiable audit trail.

The system relies on cryptographic techniques such as hashing, digital signatures and time stamping to guarantee non-repudiation. When a sender obtains an "ontvangstartbewijs" (receipt proof), they can rely on the fact that the recipient has received the message, which is important for contractual, regulatory, and tax purposes. The Dutch government provides a central registry of certified providers to promote transparency and ensure compliance with privacy and data protection standards such as the GDPR.

Although the use of ontvangstzekerheid is most common in the Netherlands, similar frameworks exist in other European jurisdictions, and the practice is increasingly adopted in corporate and governmental contexts worldwide. The concept continues to evolve as new technologies, such as blockchain-based verification, become available, promising greater scalability and reduced costs.