The BITS Standards Portal (hereinafter called "the portal") is a central documentation library easily accessible for everybody wanting to implement the messages according to BITS guidelines (web based). With a faq-register, an interactive service for entering test-data (whole message, and blocks of messages for validation), and an immediate response on the validation stating errors found, and with link to appropriate documentation, and possibility for, and with possibility to simulate response messages.
When testing messages for conformance to standards, users upload test messages to the portal for the purpose of validating them. The portal stores the test messages only temporarily. The user is therefore responsible for managing his data and creating backup copies locally, outside the portal. BITS disclaims all liability in case of any loss of data. The user is like vice responsible for ensuring that uploaded data do not contain any sensitive data.
The test data uploaded by the user may be stored for the duration of a session or longer, at the user's option. If the user opts to store such data only for the duration of the session, the data will be deleted at the end of the session. The session ends when the user logs out, or automatically after the user has been idle for a certain length of time. If the user opts to store the uploaded test data after the end of the session, the data will be automatically deleted after 176 days.
BITS promises not to process or use the test data uploaded by the user, nor to provide it to third parties.
BITS provides Norwegian Message Implementation Guidelines (MIG) for validation purposes. Norwegian banks that provide services based on any of these ISO 20022 messages are obliged to be compliant with the guidelines.
Data communication to and from the portal takes place over the Internet using encryption under HTTPS. The HTTPS protocol is customarily used for transferring sensitive data and is considered secure. BITS disclaims all liability in the unlikely event that an attack overcomes the encryption in the communication protocol.
The portal has been developed with attention to the guidelines specified by the German Federal Office of Information Security (BSI). It conforms to the security standards currently considered necessary. BITS guarantees that the recommended defenses against typical attacks that are considered necessary have been implemented with the greatest care.
The portal may be unavailable due to scheduled maintenance every Friday at 3:00 p.m. for up to two hours. The necessary downtime will be announced no later than the previous Tuesday. The portal will be taken offline when maintenance begins. Users who attempt to access the portal during such an interruption will be informed about the interruption by a suitable web page, if the portal server is available.
If a problem with the portal is reported, BITS will try to reproduce the problem and will inform the user as soon as a solution is available.
On registering, portal users are asked to provide a login name, password, real name, and e-mail address. This personal data is necessary for purposes of administration of the portal. Generally it is necessary for the fulfillment of an existing contract, or for answering users' questions. No further personal information, such as postal address, telephone number or fax number, is recorded unless provided voluntarily. BITS will not use this data for other purposes unless the user has granted permission, or — where legally permitted — if the user has not objected to such use. BITS does not give, sell or otherwise transfer personal data to third parties.
During the use of the portal, the web server regularly records use data related to the portal service for purposes of system security and statistics. Such use data includes the following: The action requested by the user, the version and variant of the standard used, the name and size of the test file, the number of errors detected, and the verification status. Such use data is stored for at most three years and then automatically deleted.
BITS's web content may contain links to external third-party web sites. Because BITS has no control over the content of such sites, BITS can make no guarantees in regard to it. The provider or operator of the given site is responsible for the content of such linked pages. Linked pages are inspected for possible infringements at the time of linking. Illegal content will not be linked. However, BITS cannot reasonably monitor the content of linked pages continuously without cause. On notification of any infringement, BITS will promptly remove the offending links.