Ink signatures, sometimes called wet signatures, have long been used as a method of identification and a method of verifying the integrity of certain documents. Increasingly, sometimes due to external pressures, people are turning to electronic signatures as a replacement.
For a time, there was a reasonable debate as to whether electronic signatures were as secure as ink signatures.
But today, the position that electronic signatures are actually more secure than ink signatures is defensible.
What is it about electronic signatures that makes them more secure than their wet counterparts?
Initial Reactions to Electronic Signatures
When electronic signatures were first introduced, most people were interested in their implementation.
Electronic signatures have a multitude of advantages over their wet signature counterparts, unrelated to security:
- Easy creation. Creating an electronic signature is relatively easy. As long as you have the right tool in place, you can easily create a new document, establish where the signature goes, and feature the signature once it’s applied.
- Convenient accessibility. Everyone can access digital documents from the comfort of their own digital device. Rather than driving across town to sign a document in person, you can sit at your desk and sign with a mouse and keyboard. This greatly reduced the time requirements for most forms of paperwork.
- Paperless sustainability. Speaking of paperwork, electronic signatures completely eliminate the need for pen and paper. Instead of printing off hundreds of pages of a complex contract, you can simply send the entire document electronically. This saves a lot of money over time and is much more environmentally sustainable.
- Digital management. Managing digital documents is typically much easier than managing paper documents. Digital documents take up less space, are easier to transfer, can be sent, received, and copied easily, and they’re even searchable. With the right tools, you can also organize electronic signatures however you like.
Despite these advantages, there was a time when the novelty of electronic signatures was considered scary and unsafe.
The Security Advantages of Electronic Signatures
Now, we mostly know that the concerns over the security of electronic signatures weren’t warranted.
Today, the technology is more secure than ever before, offering many advantages over physical signatures. For example:
- Thorough identity confirmation. Wet signatures were often handled in person, with one person verifying the identity of the other either through visual confirmation or the presentation of a photo ID. However, these elements can be easy to manipulate, and in some cases, there is no identity verification. With an electronic signature, you can verify a person’s identity in multiple ways, requiring them to log in with a password that only they know, and requiring multifactor authentication, tapping into their email address and phone number to guarantee that you’ve reached the right person.
- A digital audit trail. Electronic signatures almost always come with a digital audit trail, detailing exactly when and how the document was signed. If there’s ever a question about the authenticity of a signature, electronic signature software can quickly tell you information about the device that signed, the time the document was signed, and more.
- Tampering evidence. If a document is ever tampered with after the initial signing, there will be irrefutable evidence of this. Unlike paper documents, digital records make this transparent and secure.
- Protection against physical destruction. What happens if your paper contract catches on fire or gets destroyed in a flood? With electronic signatures, you don’t have to worry about physical destruction. Most digital signature software companies have multiple physical data storage backups, making sure your data is never in jeopardy.
Does That Mean All Electronic Signatures Are Safe?
Does that mean we should always trust our electronic signatures?
Not exactly. Not all electronic signatures are gathered or treated the same way, so it pays to be vigilant.
- Platform security. You need to think about the platform security available in the platform you choose to manage your digital signatures. Does this company follow all data security regulations and adhere to best practices for cybersecurity?
- Digital management. Is this document being managed appropriately? It’s important to follow best practices (like turning on multifactor authentication) and minimize the chances of fraud.
- Individual security practices. It’s on you to practice effective security habits as an individual when using electronic signature software. If you voluntarily give out your password or if you remain logged in on a public device, there’s a chance someone could attempt to forge your signature digitally.
Electronic signatures aren’t perfect.
No method of identity verification or document validation is perfect.
But electronic signatures are still generally much more secure and much more reliable than ink signatures.
Because they also happen to be more cost efficient and more sustainable, it’s hard to make the case for wet signatures moving forward.
