Working Draft

Date: Apr. 20, 2001
Link: http://www.w3.org/TR/xml-encryption-req
Source Author or Organization: W3C

The XML Encryption Requirements working draft describes a format, data model and encryption syntax for encrypting content, along with the information an intended recipient would be required decryption.

XML Encryption will be able to encrypt digital content such as GIF images, Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) images, XML fragments or Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) stylesheet. It will have the ability to encrypt parts of an XML document while leaving other parts open,to encrypt the XML itself, or super-encrypt data (i.e., encrypt an XML document when some elements have already been encrypted).

Key concepts of element-wise encryption are discussed in "Element-Wise XML Encryption", a white paper by Hiroshi Maruyama and Takeshi Imamura of IBM Research.

XML Encryption will provide an encrypted key mechanism and a method for providing a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for a known key. It will support XML Signature's selective signing, and will support or interoperate with XML Schemas, as well as support the requirements of the OASIS XML-Based Security Services Technical Committee (SSTC).

The data model will employ pre-existing models such as the Document Object Model (DOM), XML Infoset and XML Path Language (XPath).

The specification will not address authentication, authorization and access control, or trust applications in the provision of a key.