The difference between electronic signatures and digital signatures

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Signatures have been a part of human identity for thousands of years. From Sumerian clay tablets to the Phoenician alphabet to Times New Roman on your Mac or PC, we use signatures every day to sign important documents. But did you know that it wasn’t until the State of Frauds Act was passed in the English Parliament in 1677 that the signature became the everyday marker it is today. By the time John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence, the signature was used as a binding contract around the world.

Today, the invention of the fax machine has made it possible to digitize and send more contracts electronically, which means more signatures than ever before. In 2000, the Electronic Signature Act was enacted, validating electronic contracts and paving the way for electronic signature technologies in businesses around the world.

Electronic signatures, once a luxury business expense, are now widely used around the world, but their counterpart, digital signatures, have not received as much japan business mailing list attention. Why? Because most people are not aware of the differences. In this article, we will explain the differences between electronic signatures and digital signatures.

Electronic signatures
An electronic signature, or e-signature, is a legal concept, equivalent to a paper signature. According to the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act ( E-Signature Act ), an electronic signature is "an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other document and executed or adopted by a person with the intention of signing the document.



Digital Signatures
A digital signature is a numeric value that is represented by a sequence of characters. A digital signature is a complex mathematical problem generated by a computer. It is the encryption/decryption technology behind electronic signature applications.

Applications like DocuSign or Adobe Sign use digital signature technology to enable encryption of documents signed using their applications.