Is the Hand-Written Signature Obsolete?
It’s the digital age and we live a huge chunk of our lives online. In fact, as technology evolves, we do more and more everyday tasks online – one of these tasks being the signing of documents. So, while many of our important documents are being dealt with online, have we seen the end to the security of a hand-written signature?
The Digital Signature
A digital signature is a secure way of proving authenticity of a digital document. The user has their own unique and private code which should assure the recipient that the document has been sent by the person attached to the unique code. While the hand-written signature was once held as a means of confirming an agreement with the signer, they are incredibly easy to forge.
The digital signature is legally enforceable, meaning that it could quickly make the hand-written signature obsolete.
This has huge implications as it simplifies many processes, such as signing contracts which can be sent to anyone in seconds and signed without the need for posting. It is certainly something that businesses should consider using in order to keep up with ever-changing technological trends.
Proving Identity in a Digital World
The issue of proving who you are or knowing who someone else is in a world online can be difficult to solve. Estonia has taken the digital signature one step further by issuing ID cards that contain the digital signature of its owner. Not only can ID card owners digitally sign documents, they can also vote in parliamentary elections electronically.
The Future of Digital Identity
Technology is already evolving the concept of the digital signature and bringing identification into the digital world. New UK passports have chips that allow for the use of facial recognition software as travellers arrive into the country – something which is considered to add a layer of security to the process.
Many of us will also use fingerprint recognition software every day when using our phones. Models such as the Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7 are using the technology that gives mobile devices an added sense of security.
So, are these features the future of online security? Well, perhaps. The online world changes daily and with the constant fear of hacking and identity theft, it’s clear that there is a desperate need for advancing technologies that will keep data secure. Of course, this is an area that we are particularly interested in, but we are confident in our abilities to keep your business’s digital life secure.
If you would like to find out more about how we can provide digital support to your business, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team by calling 01524 581 690. Make sure you don’t miss out on any updates by following us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
