A system to authenticate electronic documents for individuals and businesses that was approved by Prime Minister Hun Sen in a sub-decree late last year will take at least another year before it is fully implemented.

An event held yesterday at the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications outlined the basic concept of what the country’s digital signature platform would look like once completed.

“Now, while there is no digital signature in place in Cambodia, [the origin of] all documents are difficult to verify,” said Ou Phannarith, director of the department of ICT security at the ministry.

Phannarith noted that while the government increasingly had online platforms, such as for taxation services and business registration, those processes still needed an in-person signature to verify the identity of the registrant. That need would be eliminated by the use of verified digital signatures, he said.

Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Tram Iv Tek said that as Cambodia continued to move online, the country needed to take steps to prevent fraud and cyberattacks.

“Now, we have seen an increase in transactions of e-payment, e-government, e-commerce, so . . . there is a need for having a protected system,” he said.