Glossary
What is signing evidence
The record that travels inside the signed document and makes it defensible.
Signing evidence
The set of data recorded during the signing process — sending, opening, identification and signature — that later allows what happened, and when, to be reconstructed.
The signature itself is an instant. The evidence is the path that led to that instant, and it is what answers when someone says "I never signed that".
What gets recorded
| Moment | What is kept |
|---|---|
| Sending | Who it went to, on which channel and when |
| Delivery | Whether it arrived or bounced |
| Opening | When it was opened and from what kind of device |
| Identification | How identity was checked: phone code, certificate, email |
| Signature | The exact instant, with a certified time |
None of those items proves much on its own. Together and in sequence, they force anyone disputing it to explain how all of that happened without them.
Important
The evidence travels inside the signed copy. If someone sends you only the PDF printed and rescanned, they have lost the evidence: what you hold is a piece of paper that looks like a contract.
›Is my exact location stored?
Technical access information is recorded, not tracking of the person.
›Can the signer see their own evidence?
Yes, it travels in the copy they receive.
›Does it hold up in court?
It is precisely the material a signature is defended with. Its specific weight is for a judge to assess.
A real case
The situation
A signer denies, two years later, having accepted a clause.
What you do
- The signed copy and its evidence are opened
What you get
The record shows the code sent to their phone, the opening from that same device and the certified signing time.
The situation
A signer says they never received the document.
What you do
- Checks the send and open evidence
What you get
It is on record when it was delivered and when it was opened.
The situation
A signature is requested in a procedure and the detail is needed.
What you do
- Provides the signed document with its evidence
What you get
A complete item is handed over rather than a screenshot.
The situation
Somebody signs from a device other than their usual one.
What you do
- It is recorded where it was opened and signed from
What you get
The anomaly can be explained rather than suspected.
The situation
Only the final PDF is kept and the context is lost.
What you do
- Keeps the document with its associated evidence
What you get
The proof is not separated from the document it backs.
The situation
A client asks exactly what is stored about them when signing.
What you do
- Shows them which fields make up the evidence
What you get
The answer is specific and verifiable.
This article answers
- what is signature evidence
- electronic signature audit trail
- what information is stored when signing
- how to prove someone signed