Overview#

Electronic Signatures (e-signature), refers to data in electronic form, which is logically associated with other data in electronic form and which is used by the signatory to sign.

Electronic Signatures type of signature provides the same legal standing as a handwritten signature as long as it adheres to the requirements of the specific regulation it was created under (e.g., eIDAS in the European Union, NIST-DSS in the USA or ZertES in Switzerland).

Electronic Signatures are a legal concept distinct from Digital Signatures. Although Digital Signatures are often used to implement Electronic Signatures.

Electronic Signatures can be as simple as a name entered in an electronic document, digital signatures are increasingly used in e-commerce and in regulatory filings to implement electronic signatures in a cryptographically protected way. Standardization agencies like NIST or ETSI provide standards for their implementation (e.g., NIST-DSS, XAdES or PAdES).[4][6] The concept itself is not new, with common law jurisdictions having recognized telegraph signatures as far back as the mid-19th century and faxed signatures since the 1980s.

More Information#

There might be more information for this subject on one of the following:

• Digital Signature Algorithm
• Electronic IDentification Authentication and trust Services

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• [#1] - Electronic_signature - based on information obtained 2017-08-02-