A computer readable medium having a personal identity authenticating program recorded thereon, said program based on authentication using secret key and public key pairs which are managed such that each pair is mapped to the identifier of a registrant or registrar to which the pair belongs at an authentication support station, said program comprising:
- a subprogram to run on a registry workstation for encrypting image data and identity data and writing encrypted data onto a recording medium;
- and
- a subprogram to run on a personal identity authenticating workstation for reading the encrypted data from said recording medium, decrypting said image data and said identity data, and checking the decrypted data for consistency of its contents;
- said subprogram to run on a registry workstation comprising the functions of:
- receiving and storing the input of image data generated by capturing a part of the body of the registrant;
- receiving and storing the input of the registrant's identity data;
- encrypting the identity data with the registrant's secret key;
- encrypting the identity data with the registrar's secret key;
- and
- writing the image data and encrypted identity data onto said recording medium of the registrant;
- said subprogram to run on a personal identity authenticating workstation comprising the functions of:
- decrypting the double encrypted data respectively with the registrant's and registrar's public keys which are obtained from said authentication support station by specifying the registrant or registrar identifier;
- performing matching between both identity data decrypted with each public keys;
- presenting a personal image from said image data;
- and
- accepting the input of confirmation.