Electronic Signatures and its Types
Not everyone is actually aware of what electronic signature is about and on how different types of e-signature differs from each when it comes to evidential and legality power. At basic level, mark on electronic document can actually be used to capture the objective of the signer to accept or approve the content of that particular document. It is not important on how the sign is created or the form of mark. Instead, the most significant part needed to be done is proving who made the mark and ensuring that the document is not tampered.
You will be able to learn more about the different kinds of electronic signatures used in this modern day by reading this article.
Number 1. Click-to-Sign signatures – normally, these include of scanned images, typed names, e-squiggles as well as tick boxes. There’s no cryptographic protection for the document when you make use of this signature category. Having said that, the signatures are usually lacking of enough evidences of who have made the signature or protect the document from potential modifications. There is a possibility that it might be just cut and pasted from another document.
Number 2. Basic electronic signature – in this type of e-signature, it needs the signer to apply their hand signature mark on document and then, it would be protected with cryptographic digital signature. With basic e-signatures, it is creating crypto digital signature using the server held signing key such as belonging to a service provider organization. Hence, this is referred to as “Witness” digital signature.
Number 3. Qualified and advanced e-signatures – AES and QES or Advanced Electronic Signature and Qualified Electronic Signature respectively do provide high level of assurance as well as trust since these are truly one of a kind signing keys for every signer. This is linking directly to the user’s identity to signed document in a way that anyone will be able to verify it on their own by making use of industry standard PDF reader. Take note as well that these are also called as digital signatures than e-signatures.
Apart from that, only the signer will have sole control of their private signing key and for this reason, it ensures that there’s non-repudiation even if the service provider can’t be in charge of creation of signature. Remote signing has plenty of benefits which include the ability of signing from any machine without using specialist devices similar to hardware tokens, readers and smartcards.
In reality, QES are deemed as the more trusted version of AES for this demands higher level of security to protect the signing key of user and also, formal registration procedure to verify their identity via qualified Certificate Authority.