As more and more businesses automate their processes, the need to evolve from handwritten to electronic signatures has become increasingly crucial.
Handwritten or wet-ink signatures tend to slow down processes because they are mostly dependent on the signatory’s presence and most notably, the exchange of paper.
Even when you receive an original document signed by wet-ink signatures, you can’t be 100% confident that it was actually executed by the right person, or if it hasn’t been altered along the way since wet-ink signatures can be easily forged.
On the contrary, with esignatures, only the relevant parties can be in a position to sign a document, given that they are the only ones who can access a private key, handy in executing the signature.
Actually, this is what makes it perfect for digital esignatures to stand up in court.
Unlike in the case of handwritten signatures, where paper usage is a must, electronic signatures need less ink, paper, and postage resources.
The 2001 E-Sign Act was intended to ease and encourage the use of esign technology; however, years later, there is still a lot of mistrust of electronic signatures, even though they are evidently more secure and efficient than their handwritten counterparts.
It’s common for people to sometime question about a contract’s originality and validity.
Actually, the cause of many potential legal issues with contracts signed electronically relates to enforceability.
For instance, remember the many checkboxes you click when purchasing goods online?
How are you sure it’s the intended signer who truly executed the signature?
For such situations, you trust that what you get is real.
