What are YOU doing about GDPR?

As a professional in a market that exists to support people and their data you will no doubt be well aware that GDPR is now firmly on the horizon. This short acronym is a bit like an iceberg – it looks like you should be able to navigate safely around it but in truth you know there’s much, much more to it underneath and it could cause you lasting damage if you don’t approach it in the right way. GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation and it comes into force in Europe on 25th May 2018. But with Read More …

Certificate Fraud: a Resolution

Not all of us are the type to have made a New Year’s resolution. Perhaps everything in your life is already perfectly in place (lucky you), or you already possess the will to achieve your goals without a ritualised resolution. Maybe you’re unwilling to set yourself up for inevitable disappointment, or maybe… you just think the whole thing is a load of old cod. For those of us that do take that sacred oath when January comes around, whatever the resolution may be, we can all agree the aim of the commitment is in pursuit of one thing: change. Read More …

Protecting certificates. Preserving reputations.

Following the government’s commitment in June 2015 to crackdown on bogus university degree certificates by prosecuting and taking down fraudulent websites, it was encouraging to see this week’s BBC news, reporting that more than 40 fraudulent websites have recently been shut down. The sites closed included those selling authentic-looking certificates using the names of real British universities. Others were providers offering distance learning courses, but were not valid UK degree awarding bodies. September alone saw the closure of four bogus university sites and three websites selling fake degree certificates from multiple UK universities including Stafford University, which had been Read More …

Welcome, Ecertsecure

The face of certification is changing. As the world moves ever faster into the digital realm, the way in which certificates are issued, shared and verified is in transition – and it’s connectivity that’s the driving force. Modern certificates depend on numerous connections throughout their lifetime. Student data needs to connect to certificate software. Certificate software must connect to the institution. The institution to the student. The student to the employer. And to verify the certificate, a good employer should, through the institution, connect back to the student data. By combining an understanding of how institutions are issuing certificates, Read More …

Fake degrees raise challenges in UK

The proliferation of forged qualifications has been an increasing problem worldwide and has been no exception in the UK. Last year, BBC investigations revealed a website in China selling fake degree certificates to UK universities, including the University of Kent, for £500. At a time when tuition fees are at a high, and graduates are likely to finish their education with thousands of pounds worth of debt – how can we protect the value of education when you can purchase a qualification for significantly less? Similarly, in Australia, fake degrees have been sold from leading Australian universities including the Read More …