OASIS Members to Create Framework for Global Sharing of Criminal and Terrorist Evidence
XML Specification Will Deliver Reliable Authentication and Auditing to Safeguard Privacy and Increase Effectiveness of Lawful Intercepts
Boston, MA, USA; 23 January 2003 — The OASIS standards consortium today announced the formation of a new technical committee to develop a universal global framework for supporting rapid discovery and sharing of suspected criminal and terrorist evidence by law enforcement agencies. The OASIS LegalXML Lawful Intercept XML (LI-XML) Technical Committee was formed to meet critical needs emerging from several national and intergovernmental mandates around the world, including the recently passed United States Homeland Security Information Sharing Act of 2002, the new Lawful Intercept additional protocol of the European Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters, and e-Government mandates in Europe and the United States. “As the ability for criminals and terrorists to access technology increases, the challenge for law enforcement to detect, comply with legal process, and implement evidence discovery tools also grows,” noted Anthony M. Rutkowski of VeriSign, chair of the OASIS LegalXML LI-XML Technical Committee. “Government agencies as well as providers of electronic communication services worldwide will benefit from uniform XML schema that facilitates fully electronic receipt, authentication, and implementation of lawful process.” Rutkowski added that the enhanced precision, authentication, and audit features provided by LI-XML will result in greater public trust in the traditionally sensitive area of legal discovery. As part of the OASIS LegalXML Member Section, the LI-XML specification will be designed to support an end-to-end legal process where law enforcement, justice, and security agencies are the principal beneficiaries. LI-XML Technical Committee members plan to work closely with related OASIS efforts including the LegalXML Electronic Court Filing and OASIS e-Government Technical Committees. “LI-XML is the latest in a growing number of OASIS Technical Committees that address the needs of the public sector,” noted Karl Best, vice president of OASIS. “We are encouraged to see government agencies and representatives from around the globe joining OASIS to advance this effort, along with our e-Government, Tax XML and other LegalXML initiatives.” Participation in the OASIS LegalXML LI-XML Technical Committee remains open to all organizations and individuals. OASIS will host an open mail list for public comment, and completed work will be freely available to the public without licensing or other fees. Information on joining OASIS can be found on http://www.oasis-open.org/join. About OASIS (http://www.oasis-open.org) OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) is a not-for-profit, global consortium that drives the development, convergence, and adoption of e-business standards. Members themselves set the OASIS technical agenda, using a lightweight, open process expressly designed to promote industry consensus and unite disparate efforts. OASIS produces worldwide standards for security, Web services, XML conformance, business transactions, electronic publishing, topic maps and interoperability within and between marketplaces. Founded in 1993, OASIS has more than 2000 participants representing over 300 member companies as well as individual members in 100 countries around the world. For more information: Carol Geyer Director of Communications OASIS (www.oasis-open.org) carol.geyer@oasis-open.org +1.978.667.5115 x209