From handshakes to electronic signatures – how did we get here? Although some parts of the world still consider someone’s word or handshake a binding agreement, this is not the case in America. As more contracts required more signatures and higher tamper-proof security was warranted, the information age came up with its own solution – electronic signatures. The ESIGN Act was passed in 2000, stating that agreements could not be unenforceable, simply because a signature was electronic; however, the signature is still required to be secure.
But how does one ensure that the person signing is who they say they are? Electronic signature providers have a number of authentication steps to guarantee the correct person is singing including: email validation, login names & passwords & even digital certificates. These certificates track where a document goes & what happens to it in each location. Like in police forensics, electronic signatures can provide a chain of custody that paper documents just cant.
