In an effort to improve the security of its online certification process, the Schools and Libraries Division has announced that all applicant PIN numbers will be deactivated on the evening of November 19. The SLD will send persons currently holding a PIN an e-mail notice that their PINs will be deactivated and that they will need to reapply for a new one.
To obtain a new PIN, the person who was authorized and who signed (either on paper or online) an online Form 471 or a completed, online Form 486 that contains at least one funded FRN must enter the application number and the security code for that form. The authorized person requesting a PIN will also have to provide identifying contact information and a current e-mail address. If the system requirements are met, the SLD will send the authorized person an e-mail within one hour with the information necessary to access the new PIN. The PIN can be used immediately to certify a form online.
Form 470 applications can continue to be posted without a PIN, and certified online at a later date or certified by mailing a signature page to the SLD.
When the new system is in place, the SLD will begin sending an e-mail message to the e-mail address registered to the PIN each time it is used. This way, the authorized person will know that their PIN number has been compromised, and will be able to alert the SLD.
The SLD said that some applicants may have trouble accessing the site to a request a PIN number before 10 a.m. on November 24 if their Internet Service Providers do not update information on a real-time basis.
