For the purposes of this subchapter, and unless the context expressly indicates otherwise:

(1) "Acceptable certification authorities" means a certification authority that meets the requirements of 2-20-109 and 2-20-110, MCA.

(2) "Approved list of certification authorities" means the list of certification authorities approved by the secretary of state to issue certificates for digital signature transactions involving public entities in Montana.

(3) "Asymmetric cryptosystem" means a computer algorithm or series of algorithms which utilize two different keys with the following characteristics:

(a) one key signs a given message;

(b) one key verifies a given message; and

(c) the keys have the property that, knowing one key, it is computationally infeasible to discover the other key.

(4) "Certification authority" means a person or entity that issues a certificate, or in the case of certain certification processes, certifies amendments to an existing certificate, or appears on the secretary of state's "approved list of certificate authorities".

(5) "Department" means the Montana department of transportation.

(6) "Digitally signed communication" is a message that has been processed by a computer in such a manner that legally ties the message to the individual that signed the message.

(7) "Message" means a digital representation of information intended to serve as a written communication with the department.

(8) "Person" means a human being or any organization capable of signing a document, either legally or as a matter of fact.

(9) "Practice statement" means documentation of the practices, procedures and controls employed by a certification authority.

(10) "Proof of identification" means the document or documents presented to a certification authority to establish the identity of a subscriber.

(11) "Signer" means the person who signs a digitally acceptable technology to uniquely link the message with the person sending it.

(12) "Technology" means the computer infrastructure hardware and/or software-based method or process used to create digital signatures.