Social Security/CommerceNet/PitneyBowes try digital signature W-2's

[John Gilmore]

Date: Tue, 14 Jan 97 10:06:55 EST
From: John.T.Sabo at ssa.gov
Message-Id: <9700148532.AA853265294 at ccsmtpgw2.ssa.gov>
To: members at lists.Commerce.Net
Subject: Test Opportuity for CommerceNet Member Small Companies

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This message was addressed to:  members at lists.commerce.net
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To CommerceNet Members Who Are Small Employers:

CommerceNet member companies who are small employers (approximately 30
employees) are invited to participate this month with the Social Security
Administration and PitneyBowes, Inc. in an important proof-of-concept
project in
which the Social Security Administration will accept digitally-signed W-2 and
W-3 data via the Internet, with PitneyBowes issuing test software and
public key
certificates to participating employers. (I mentioned this test at the
December
CommerceNet Members' meeting.)

Participation will require completion of a field test agreement with SSA,
submission of a request for certification by PitneyBowes, and installation of
software on a Windows PC which will enable the generation of a signature key
pair as well as software which will generate, sign and transmit the wage
data to
Social Security.  The software also produces W-2 paper forms for
distribution to
employees.  If a company already uses a software product to create W-2's, the
output file can be used for this test.  (Please note that the test is not
designed to evaluate all aspects of public key cryptography - for example, no
certification practice statement has been developed.)

If you are interested in participating in this important public/private sector
test of digital signature wage reporting, please contact me as soon as
possible
and I'll arrange for Mr. Chuck Liptz, SSA's Project Manager, to contact you
immediately to provide additional details.  (Chuck can also be reached
directly
at (410) 965-7057 or <chuck.liptz at ssa.gov>.

John Sabo
Social Security Administration
(410) 965-1550

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