Electronic signature

Electronic signature is the broad term. A handwritten signature drawn with a finger and placed on the page is one; a digital signature, which adds cryptography and a certificate, is another.

Which kind a document needs depends on the law and the process it serves, which an editor cannot decide.

The law usually asks about intent, not technology. In the United States the ESIGN Act gives electronic signatures legal effect, and in the European Union the eIDAS regulation defines three levels: simple, advanced and qualified. A qualified electronic signature has the same legal effect as a handwritten one across the EU, and it needs a certificate from a qualified trust service provider.

In practice, most everyday approvals need only a simple electronic signature, while regulated documents may need more. A drawn signature shows that someone agreed, but on its own it doesn’t show whether the file changed afterwards. That is what a digital signature adds.

When you build signing into an app, decide three things early: who the signer is, what proof you keep of who signed and when, and whether the document must show later changes. Ask a lawyer which level your documents need.

The signing process often counts as much as the mark on the page. Teams usually keep a record of who signed, when and how they were identified, because that record is what they show if a signature is ever questioned.