tidsstämplingsmyndighet

tidsstämplingsmyndighet (literally “time‑stamping authority”) is an organization that provides cryptographic timestamping services in accordance with national or international standards. The service registers the exact time a digital document or data file was created or modified, producing an electronic record that can be independently verified by third parties. This evidence is crucial for legal, commercial, and regulatory contexts where the exact date and time of a transaction or document is required.

In most countries tidsstämplingsmyndigheter operate under the framework of electronic identification and trust services defined in the eIDAS Regulation (EU) or equivalent national legislation. They typically employ a public key infrastructure (PKI) to sign the timestamp with a trusted root certificate. The resulting time‑stamp counter‑signatures can be validated even after the original document is altered, provided the hash remains unchanged, thereby ensuring non‑repudiation and integrity.

Public authorities, such as national tax agencies or procurement departments, often establish their own tidsstämplingsmyndigheter to meet specific statutory requirements. Private companies can also obtain services from certified third‑party providers. In several Scandinavian countries the term is widely used; for instance, Sweden’s Tidsstämplingsmyndigheten (TSM) was created to provide secure time‑stamping for digital contracts and tax filings.

Common applications of time‑stamping services include electronic invoicing, supply‑chain record keeping, digital signature validation, and archiving of legal documents. By ensuring a tamper‑evident trail that is independently verifiable, tidsstämplingsmyndigheter play an essential role in securing digital transactions and supporting compliance with time‑sensitive regulations.