Difference between Electronic Signatures and Digital Signatures

An electronic signature can be any piece of electronic data, such as a JPEG image of a signature or name, a sound recording, a symbol, or a voiceprint. An electronic signature can even be something as simple as a typed name.

Since electronic signatures are so easy to implement, and they do not incorporate any additional measure of security, they are problematic when it comes to security and integrity. Any person can type in the name of another person and pass it off as an electronic signature. Further, the inability of an electronic signature to ensure signer identity, content integrity, or non-repudiation of signed documents makes the signature vulnerable to forgery and tampering, and prevents the electronic signature from being legally binding. As a result, electronic signatures are not considered a secure way of signing, and are useful only in environments where signers are familiar with and in very close proximity to one another.

A digital signature is a secure form of an electronic signature. In this way, digital signatures are a sub-group of electronic signatures, and they provide signature and content integrity as well as non-repudiation of signed documents.

As opposed to an electronic signature, a digital signature cannot be copied, forged, or tampered with. This is because digital signatures are based on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology, which, using a cryptographic operation, creates a ‘fingerprint’ unique to both the signer and the content. For this reason, a digital signature ensures signer authenticity and data integrity. Because digital signatures are based on PKI, they may be validated by anyone using the same application that was used for signing (i.e. Microsoft® Word, Adobe® PDF, etc.) without the need for proprietary verification software. Verifying an electronic signature, however, does require proprietary verification software.

Digital signatures are used by businesses around the globe and across industries as a means to securely and compliantly expedite approval processes, while also enhancing collaboration, reducing costs, improve efficiency and supporting environmental friendliness. Organizations that have invested in electronic content management systems like SharePoint or other business automation systems find that, with digital signatures, they can close the gap to going fully paperless by eliminating the need to reintroduce paper into the workflow for signature approvals. By seamlessly integrating a digital signature solution with their existing processes and applications, organizations are able to gain the greatest benefit from their investment in automation.