To conform with global contract law, a signature, whether electronic or on paper, must fulfil three key requirements. What makes an electronic signature legally binding? These levels are explained further in the Scrive Trust Center. Because the legal effect of these methods can vary greatly, factors such as cost of implementation, ease of use (customer experience), legislation, company policies and assessed business risk usually determine which one to use in a given situation.Įven in the category of electronic signature, there are different levels, and which level is appropriate for a given situation will depend on the same factors mentioned above. Not all of these will qualify as an electronic signature, and which method to use depends on the situation.

authenticating your identity using a means of electronic identification (eID).

making a sound or video recording of a verbal acknowledgment.

clicking and/or drawing your signature to sign an electronic document.

clicking a button to agree to on-screen text, such as terms and conditions.

There are various methods for expressing agreement, consent and acknowledgment in a digital environment, including:

a method for securely archiving your documents.As with our own human fingerprints, it’s impossible for any other document to have that same digital signature. It’s like a fingerprint that is unique to that document. Rather, it’s about document integrity, which means that in the event of a dispute, you can prove that: (1) no one has altered the original document, and (2) the document you’re presenting isn’t a forgery. What is a digital signature?Ī digital signature, also referred to as “sealing a document”, is not a signature in the legal sense. Above all, you’ll learn how to ask e-sign providers to be specific regarding what their services include. You’ll learn the key features of each term, examples of what they encompass and how they can be applied. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the differences between digital and electronic signatures to help clear things up. It’s very easy to confuse digital signature and electronic signature.

How to make the digital signature