An electronic signature, also known as an e-signature or digital signature, refers to information in digital form, that is digitally related to other information in digital form and that is used by the sender to sign on his behalf. The sender can verify the signature of the senders on the e-mails sent from his computer system or on the files transmitted over the internet.
The sender’s key must be in a state that is accepted and enforced by the various electronic signing technologies including offline key signing with pencil, paper, computer print outs and voice imprinting. Once the key is created, it can only be changed with the consent of the user. This means that the sender cannot make another copy of the key without the user’s consent.
The Need for Digital Signature
The need for digital signatures became clear in the early 2000’s when passwords were made only by using specific alphanumeric combinations. This was done in order to prevent people from recovering the password by making use of databases containing this combination’s. However, this system of changing passwords resulted in making the use of keys very difficult for the average user. Digital signatures however are often used in order to create a secure connection between people who are not able to change their password. Signature on PDF is also difficult for an average user. But digital signatures makes it easier for everyone. You need to edit pdf online and use digital signature on it. It is the easiest way t sign PDF files online.
Electronic Signatures are Useful in many Circumstances
Electronic signatures are useful in many circumstances, especially in business. A merchant can ensure that the goods sold are his property by creating an electronic signature that is stored on a server and only allows authorized people to access the data stored on it. The merchants do not have to be present during the transaction; therefore the transaction does not take place offline in a face to face setting. An e-signature is recorded by the network where the transactions are transacted and only allows those who are entitled to receive the payments be able to view them. Thus, electronic signatures are often used as proof of identity on websites.
Medical and Healthcare
Another application of electronic signatures is in the arena of medical and healthcare. Most EMR’s or electronic health records are signed with digital signatures that are much more resistant to cloning than traditional wet ink signatures. An EMR contains important medical information, and traditional signatures may not be strong enough to sign a document as powerful as a medical record. Digital signatures are also used to guarantee the integrity of patient records.
E-mail and Online Transactions
E-mail and online transactions are becoming more popular as technologies increase and the Internet becomes more popular. However, security problems with electronic signatures made it necessary for some establishments to take measures that would prevent individuals from digitally signing documents without their knowledge or consent. An example of such a measure is the use of a lock with an embedded digital keypad for the purpose of verifying who is trying to enter the secured computer network. Digital signatures may also be used to authenticate a document to be signed by an authorized party, thereby ensuring the document is safe from tampering. These types of measures to make it harder for a person to forge signatures or to tamper with documents.
Business
Another popular example of using electronic signature in business and other areas is when documents are distributed to a network of clients via email. Instead of printing out the complete hard copy of the document, the electronic signature verifies that the complete, unaltered copy is available for viewing. When a document is created digitally, the recipient can determine if he wishes to print the document or view the copy online without having to download it from the Internet or print it out. When the document is password protected, a business or individual can ensure that only those who need to have access to the document will have access to it and any others who don’t need to have access but are present can still view it.
