Glossary
What is an electronic signature
Accepting a document electronically while leaving proof of who, what and when.
Electronic signature
The act of accepting a document by electronic means, together with the set of data that later proves who accepted it, which exact document it was, and when.
What matters is not the squiggle or the image: it is the evidence left behind. A scanned signature pasted into a PDF looks like a signature and proves almost nothing; an electronic signature with no drawing at all can prove a great deal more.
What makes it hold
Electronic and digital signature
In conversation they are used interchangeably. Strictly, "digital signature" refers to the cryptographic technique underneath, and "electronic signature" to the legal act. For everyday purposes the distinction changes nothing.
Watch out
A photo of your signature pasted into a document is not an electronic signature: it is an image. Anyone can copy it into another document.
›Is it worth the same as signing by hand?
Under the European framework an electronic signature cannot be rejected merely for being electronic. What decides its strength is the evidence behind it.
›Do I need a digital certificate?
It depends on the level required. For most commercial documents, no.
›Does an email saying "agreed" count?
It may count as acceptance, but it proves far less: it does not pin down which version of the document was accepted.
A real case
The situation
A client asks whether they can sign the contract "properly" instead of electronically.
What you do
- Has it explained what gets recorded when signing
- Signs from their phone
What you get
The contract ends up with more evidence than it would have had on paper, where nobody records when it was signed.
The situation
A supplier says their scanned signature in the PDF is already an electronic signature.
What you do
- Explains what is recorded in each case
What you get
A pasted image is distinguished from an act with proof behind it.
The situation
Somebody signs from a phone on a train and doubts it counts.
What you do
- Checks the evidence that was stored
What you get
The device does not change what can be demonstrated.
The situation
A company wants to know what proof it holds if the signer denies it.
What you do
- Opens the signed copy and its evidence record
What you get
The answer sits inside the document itself.
The situation
A paper signature is given and nobody notes the day.
What you do
- Signs electronically and leaves the time recorded
What you get
The date stops being the first thing argued about.
The situation
A signer asks for a copy after signing.
What you do
- Sends them the signed document with its evidence
What you get
Both parties hold the same thing.
This article answers
- what is an electronic signature
- digital signature definition
- difference between electronic and digital signature
- is signing electronically the same as by hand