Electronic signature is a broad legal and workflow concept for an electronic sound, symbol, or process adopted with intent to sign. A digital signature is a cryptographic technique that can provide evidence about integrity and a signing key. A workflow may use both, but neither term alone proves identity, authority, consent, or enforceability.
Decision snapshot
| Decision | Practical approach | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Intent | How is agreement to sign expressed? | Clear signing action and presented version |
| Cryptography | Is a certificate/key used to protect integrity or attribution? | Signature validation and certificate evidence |
| Operations | Can recipients and future reviewers verify the record? | Portable document, validation path, and retention |
h
Separate legal effect from technology
h
Understand what cryptography can show
h
Match identity assurance to consequence
h
Design recipient verification
h
Plan long-term evidence
Action checklist
- Transaction and legal requirements
- Intent and consent evidence
- Identity/authority assurance
- Key and certificate responsibilities
- Recipient validation method
- Long-term portable evidence
Working worksheet
Record these fields in the same working document so the decision can be reviewed and handed off:
- Risk or requirement
- Electronic workflow control
- Digital-signature control
- Residual uncertainty
- Verifier and retention owner
Common failure patterns
- Calling a typed name a digital signature
- Assuming certificate validity proves business authority
- Keeping validation evidence only in a live platform account