Validation of E-Signature for electronically signed contract?

Posted by Kristen D.Smith on November 9th, 2020

Preparing a digitally signed contract by using advanced digital signature tools is a task that needs proper attention and concentration.

It is because you can make the contract authentic and legally-binding by following the steps of validation. With the help of digital signatures, you can make sure that all the signatures and the content on which all the stakeholders are agreed are validated.

For that, the best E-Signature app uses the public keys of the signatories. The digital signature certificate, issued by the third party with an expiry date, is also required for validation.

In some situations, you also need some other information related to a digital certificate.

Validating the digital signature makes the whole process smooth and authentic. You can also increase the protection and security of the contract with this validation process.

This validation has a great value in the eyes of the courts in legal disputes. It means that you can handle all the objections related to the authenticity, genuineness, or application of electronically signed contracts with the help of the validation process.

To implement the validation process, it is necessary to use a digital signature for signing the documents generated electronically.

For that, the management needs to demonstrate the following steps to increase the assurance level substantially:

Authentication

To make the digital signature authentic, it is necessary to demonstrate that the signatory has signed the document by using the private key.

The solution providers of advanced digital signature make sure that this signature has been validated independently.

This target is achieved by using mathematical certainty. Moreover, the public key also plays a major role in this regard.

Many software solutions are available in the market that performs this task by interrogating the meta-data of electronic signature.

If you have done it successfully, it is the confirmation that the authentication process has been completed.

Data Integrity

It means that you need to demonstrate the contents to all the stakeholders. In this way, you ensure that all agree on the content.

It is the confirmation that the produced document has been prepared with full attention. However, the essential aspect of this validation is that no one will try to change the content intentionally or inadvertently.

The same procedure is followed to achieve this target. Mathematical certainty, incorporating public key, and using the software to investigate the meta-data of the electronic signature is the essential parts for validating the content produced in the electronically signed contracts.

Non-repudiation

Top E-signature online solution providers do not ignore this validation process because non-repudiation is the most authentic validation process.




This validation process has different aspects. First, the system makes sure that the signatory is signing digitally by using the private key, and it is under the sole control of the signatory as well.

This target is achieved by monitoring the digital certificate on which all the information related to the digital signature is provided.

Second, the certificate authority is also checked, whether it has all legal rights or not to issue a signature certificate.

Third, the software or online application is also checked, whether it follows all the instructions for making the digital signature authentic or not.

For example, the application is using the procedure of two-way authentication or not. It ensures that no other person is using the private key.

In this way, the whole validation procedure is adopted and make the electronically signed contracts legally binding and enforceable.

The bottom line

A digital signature is one of the most advanced solutions that are offered to businesses for smoothening the documentation process and improving the business operations.

However, the businesses need to follow all the validations for making sure that they have adopted during document preparation and approval.

It will help them when there is any legal issue raised by any of the stakeholders or any other concerned individual or authority.