The Information Technology Company for Defense (Xetid) developed a platform that allows individuals and legal entities to process, obtain, and sign legally valid digital documentation online within Cuban territory.
Since Monday, the service provider that allows the issuance of recognized certificates for advanced electronic identification and signature has been available, according to the official newspaper Granma.
However, although the note does not specify whether the website (https://certificados.xetid.cu) can be accessed from any country other than the Caribbean nation, CiberCuba confirmed that it is unavailable for Cubans living abroad.
Among the permissions established by the ACX Digital Certificates platform are those for registration, recording, searching, and inspecting certificates, explained Noel Alvarado Cepero, director of the Basic Unit for Digital Economy at Xetid.
This technology could serve as an incentive for the much-needed bureaucratic agility that the institutions of the Ministry of Justice in Cuba currently lack, as citizen complaints have revealed that the process of document delivery can take several months.
"All these procedures, as is well known, must be done during working hours, so that day I have to be absent, wake up at four in the morning, and endure a rather complicated line, where in many cases they only attend to people until noon due to a lack of connectivity," lamented Aminael Rodríguez Castillo, a resident of Old Havana, who took more than three months to obtain a birth certificate that he requested from the Civil Registry in his municipality in Holguín.
However, Cuban officials state that this new platform will also enable the issuance of certificates for applications and content, as well as the services of a certification authority.
ACX consists of a combination of solutions and services that facilitate the automation and digitization of official processes for citizens, and it integrates with EnZona's identity provider and the Citizen's Single File.
Additionally, it can be used on both Windows and Unix/Linux operating systems, and its use optimizes processes while ensuring the security of electronic data, Alvarado stated.
Alvarado explained that the platform continuously updates the validity of the issued certificates, which can be reviewed through the established procedure for that purpose.
Finally, he noted that ACX provides associated services for issuing, revoking, and renewing digital identities, and acts as a catalyst for innovation by supporting the development of companies in emerging sectors.
The Cubadebate website made a big splash with the news; however, the comments reveal a lack of understanding about this technology, as well as dissatisfaction with the performance of the company Xetid.
A user, under the pseudonym Trabajador, pointed out that many people are unaware of the topic and requested, "provide practical examples of how these electronic signature certificates are used, as most of us are not very knowledgeable about these matters."
Similarly, two people named Alfredo and Oscar Reyes debated the inefficient customer service.
Alfredo demanded that Xetid review the emails regarding public assistance. "I no longer know whom to contact to have my EnZona registration deleted due to the loss of my password. The digitalization efforts are great, but if those of us who benefit from them are not attended to, their promotions are of no use."
For his part, Reyes responded that he will soon be three months without being able to pay for the electric service, for which he has complained several times and through various channels, yet he has not received any responses, nor has anyone contacted him.
A user named Miguel stated that this technology is important because accessing documents has become somewhat "cumbersome," which "irritates people due to the long waits, delays, and lines."
For their part, someone by the name of Flower demanded: "First, Xetid should use their efforts to improve the Ministry of Justice's online application system, including birth and marriage certificates, among others. I requested a certificate online in June 2023, and I'm still waiting; the online status update still says 'pending'."
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