I'm sure we've all heard of or used a website that requested that we use a digital signature. But what does that mean? Handwritten signatures are used for signing important documents because everyone has a unique handwriting and not many people are that adept at forging signatures so it's a relatively secure method. But do digital signatures have the same type of security?
Well, according to DocuSign.com, digital signatures are actually secure because they use encryption to hide the name that you input, thereby making the signature unique. DocuSign in particular requires the provider to use a mathematical algorithm to generate two numbers called keys. One of the keys is public and the other is private. When you sign a document electronically, you use your private key which, when sent off, is encrypted through the mathematical algorithm. The document also has a time stamp so that the document cannot be changed without the signer and the receiver getting notice. The public key is used by receivers of the document to ensure that the document was actually signed by who is was supposed to be and that it hadn't been tampered with after being sent off. Because of these secure methods, electronic signatures are actually considered legally binding in the US and in many other countries. It's also more widely accepted because it is easier to send documents electronically and because there are more measures to ensure that the documents have not been tampered with.
References:
"Are Electronic Signatures Legal?" DocuSign. N.p., 21 Oct. 2016. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
"DSC IN INDIA – Offers Digital Signature Certificate, Class 3, Class 2, DGFT, Digital Signature Provider in Delhi, Digital Signature Certificate Providers in India, Digital Signature at Lowest Price, Buy Digital Signature Online." DSC IN INDIA Offers Digital Signature Certificate Class 3 Class 2 DGFT Digital Signature Provider in Delhi Digital Signature Certificate Providers in India Digital Signature at Lowest Price Buy Digital Signature Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.
"How Digital Signatures Work." DocuSign. N.p., 02 Nov. 2016. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
Patel, Anant. "Advantages and Disadvantages Of Digital Signature | Digital India Insight." Digital India Insight. N.p., 21 Dec. 2015. Web. 09 Nov. 2016.
"What Is a Digital Signature?" HowStuffWorks. N.p., 14 Aug. 2008. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.
Really cool topic ! It's fascinating how we can authorize signatures in many way and how secure this process is.What do you think will be next to protect our identities ? Do you think we will able to have a huge database of fingerprints maybe ?
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