What is a Certificate Authority (CA)?ĭigital signatures rely on public and private keys. PKI enforces additional requirements, such as the Certificate Authority (CA), a digital certificate, end-user enrollment software, and tools for managing, renewing, and revoking keys and certificates. The public key is openly available and used by those who need to validate the signer’s electronic signature. The private key, as the name implies, is not shared and is used only by the signer to electronically sign documents. Through PKI, each digital signature transaction includes a pair of keys: a private key and a public key. Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a set of requirements that allow (among other things) the creation of digital signatures. When you receive a document for signing via email, you must authenticate as per the Certificate Authority’s requirements and then “sign” the document by filling out a form online. DocuSign’s interface walks you through the process and ensures that you meet all of these requirements. There also may be restrictions and limitations on whom you send documents to for signing and the order in which you send them. They provide an interface for sending and signing documents online and work with the appropriate Certificate Authorities to provide trusted digital certificates.ĭepending upon the Certificate Authority you are using, you may be required to supply specific information. Digital signature providers, like DocuSign, meet PKI requirements for safe digital signing.ĮSignature providers, such as DocuSign, that offer solutions based on digital signature technology, make it easy to digitally sign documents. To protect the integrity of the signature, PKI requires that the keys be created, conducted, and saved in a secure manner, and often requires the services of a reliable Certificate Authority (CA). The signature is then considered invalid. If the public key can’t decrypt the signature (via the cipher from which the keys were created), it means the signature isn’t Jane’s, or has been changed since it was signed. The buyer who receives the document also receives a copy of Jane’s public key. If the document changes after signing, the digital signature is invalidated.Īs an example, Jane signs an agreement to sell a timeshare using her private key. The signature is also marked with the time that the document was signed. The resulting encrypted data is the digital signature. The mathematical algorithm acts like a cipher, creating data matching the signed document, called a hash, and encrypting that data. When a signer electronically signs a document, the signature is created using the signer’s private key, which is always securely kept by the signer. One key is public, and one key is private. PKI requires the provider to use a mathematical algorithm to generate two long numbers, called keys. Digital signature solution providers, such as DocuSign, follow a specific protocol, called PKI. In addition, some industries also support specific standards that are based on digital signature technology.ĭigital signatures, like handwritten signatures, are unique to each signer. In particular, the use of digital signature technology for eSignatures varies significantly between countries that follow open, technology-neutral eSignature laws, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, and those that follow tiered eSignature models that prefer locally defined standards that are based on digital signature technology, including many countries in the European Union, South America, and Asia. However, there are differences in purpose, technical implementation, geographical use, and legal and cultural acceptance of digital signatures versus other types of eSignatures. Both digital signatures and other eSignature solutions allow you to sign documents and authenticate the signer. The category includes digital signatures, which are a specific technology implementation of electronic signatures. The broad category of electronic signatures (eSignatures) encompasses many types of electronic signatures. What’s the difference between a digital signature and an electronic signature?
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