Certified Electronic Mail (PEC)

Wikipedia describes certified electronic mail (PEC) as a tool that gives an email message the same legal value as a traditional registered letter with acknowledgment of receipt. PEC can also add certification of the message content, but only in combination with a digital certificate. PEC does not certify the identity of the sender, nor does it transform the message into an "electronic document" if the sender fails to use their digital signature.

The legislation on certified electronic mail assigns various tasks to DigitPA. In particular, it designates this entity as the custodian and manager of the technical rules. It is also DigitPA's responsibility to publish updates, in accordance with the standards specified in the relevant legislation.

Within its institutional website, DigitPA makes available a dedicated section on certified electronic mail, containing a downloadable version of all the documentation valid for legal purposes regarding PEC.

The Italian Government provides all Italian citizens with a free PEC account which, however, can only be used in communications with the Public Administration and does not include a digital signature service.

The PEC service, by its very nature, offers a number of advantages over the traditional registered letter with return receipt. The main ones are:

• Any digital format can be sent via certified electronic mail;
• Messages can be consulted from any computer connected to the internet;
• Certification of the attachments to the message;
• Successful delivery of the email is guaranteed; if it is not possible to deliver the message, the user is informed;
• Delivery receipts have legal validity;
• Traceability of the sender's account and consequently of its holder (if the holder has been identified with certainty);
• There is certainty about the destination of the messages;
• Sending messages can cost less than registered letters.