Electronic signatures and ethics

Srivastava, Aashish; Thomson, Stanley Bruce

Electronic signatures and ethics

Author

Srivastava, Aashish

Thomson, Stanley Bruce

Date

2007

Keywords

information security & privacy, IT security and ethics, security and forensic science and technology

Abstract (summary)

The advent of the Internet once again raised the question as to what constitutes a signature and what form of signature should be used to sign electronic documents. This led legal jurists and academics to examine what a signature is. Traditionally, a signature is “the name of a person written with his or her own hand” (Merriam- Webster Online Dictionary, 2006), and since 439 AD in the Roman Empire, a signature authenticated wills (Nicholas, 1965). However, courts have accepted various other forms of signature such as initials, marks, rubber stamp, typed name, and a printed name.1 Thus the validity of a signature is not to be tested by its form but rather by the functions it performs (Reed, 2000).

Publication Information

Srivastava, A. & Thomson, S. B. (2007). Electronic signatures and ethics. In M. Quigley (Ed.) Encyclopaedia of information ethics and security (pp. 179–186). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-59140-987-8.ch027