KUALA LUMPUR Aug 13 - The Digital Signature Act 1977, which was approved in Parliament last year, will come into force on Oct 1, 1998, said the Minister of Energy, Telecommunications and Post, Datuk Leo Moggie, today.

The Act is to facilitate the growth of the multimedia industry and electronic trade in the country as well as to protect the interests of businesses and individuals in the present digital era, he said.

Leo Moggie said the implementation of the Act would very much depend on the office of the Act's Controller and the Certification Authorities who would be given the task of carrying out their relevant functions to ensure that e-commerce activities are carried out safely.

Currently, the director-general of Post, Nasaruddin Che Abu, has been appointed the Controller of Certification Authorities for the time being, Moggie told reporters after officiating at the launch of a company, Digicert Sdn Bhd, here.

The functions of the controller would include the issuance of licences, and monitoring of the certification authority, which would be responsible for producing the digital certificates, he said.

Moggie added that the controller would also be responsible for coming out with regulations and guidelines to ensure the smooth implementation of the Act.

Meanwhile, Nasaruddin said his office to date has had discussions with several agencies and companies involved in electronic transactions, including Bank Negara, Securities Commission, Malaysian Electronic Payment System Sdn Bhd, Petronas and Sirim Bhd.

Nasaruddin said the discussions covered issues like consumer fees, application processes and responsibilities of the certificate issuing office.

Moggie said the operating licence for becoming a certification authority has yet to be issued to any company until now but parties interested in taking up the job can apply to do so once the Act came into force.

He said the criteria for selecting the certification authority office would be made public before the Act came into force.

Digicert is one of the first companies to have indicated its interest in becoming a Certification Authority. The company in which Pos Malaysia has a 40 percent interest has a paid-up capital of RM15 million.

Pos Malaysia's other partners in Digicert are Mimos Bhd and GITN Sdn Bhd, both of which hold 30 percent equity respectively in the company.