Electronic signatures were supposedly designed to solve the problem of how to make people sign digital documents. Software development companies have even come up with electronic signature software to address the issue of how to verify and authenticate electronic signatures. But people have become a bit wary of the consequences of internet hacking. Some have lost real money to hackers who get into their accounts.
It has made it quite challenging for businesses to implement electronic signatures. It seems a considerable segment of the population still doesn’t accept electronic signatures. You can check out jSign.com and other similar sites for more information about electronic signatures. Here are some of the challenges faced by using them:
- Reliability And Risk Of Fraud
There are still those who don’t believe in the authenticity or reliability of electronic signatures. It is one of the major challenges still being faced by the concept and technology of electronic signatures. In the United States, there are still many people who’d prefer to see your signature on the paperwork before they deal with you. Many are aware that electronic signatures are valid and accepted. But there are still those who doubt whether an electronic signature is authentic or not.
Part of the explanation is that there’s a lingering notion that electronic signatures can be more easily forged or faked than a handwritten signature. Some don’t even know how to sign an electronic signature. With the news on global organizations and multinational corporations being hacked, people are wary about the real possibility that signatures stored in large databases might be harvested by these hacking crooks and used to defraud other people.
To resolve this is by improving the cybersecurity features of websites, along with downloadable mobile applications. Companies should consider investing in the cybersecurity of their authentication procedures, as well as the safety and security of their databases. There should also be a parallel effort to win the public trust by launching information campaigns.
- Legacy Paper Registration Systems
Another challenge faced by electronic signature systems is the prohibitions and restrictions imposed by legacy paper registration systems. In the U.S. and European Union (E.U.), most businesses have comfortably transitioned to electronic signatures in their transactions.
Its most prevalent use requires users to sign their consent in User Agreements. They’re also used in confidentiality agreements. Some online employment platforms now require workers and contractors to sign employment contracts with electronic signatures.
But there are still some countries that have held on to their legacy paper registration systems. These systems still require handwritten signatures in these documents:
- Deeds used for the conveyance of titles and specific registration in their respective registry of deeds
- Wills and other documents evidencing the establishment of a trust
- Irrevocable Powers of Attorney
- Some real estate agreements which still require a handwritten signature
- Assignment or transfer or rights involving intellectual property (IP)
- Transfer or assignment of ownership of shares of stock
- Affixing signatures in birth certificates, as well as marriage certificates, and death certificates
- Private agreements and contracts among private corporations and individuals which still required documents to be signed in writing or by hand
The most effective way to resolve the challenge posed by legacy paper documents and registration systems is to advocate law’s enactment that would mandate government offices to accept electronic signatures as acceptable substitutes for handwritten signatures. Without such legislation, these government offices would continue to require people to submit paper documents with handwritten signatures. It would require advocacy to persuade governments to switch to electronic signature applications.
- Not Everyone Has A Biometric Scanner
The issue with screen authentication software apps is some people think that their two-factor authentication mechanisms are prone to be misused by forgers. They believe that electronic signatures signed in to these small boxes which appear on your screen won’t be able to capture the waves of these electronic signatures and effectively compare them with a specimen signature of the user on file with them.
It is an issue, for instance, among banks that store the specimen signatures of their depositors and clients. They might expose their clients and depositors to risk if they permit transactions by signing their electronic signatures in downloadable apps. If these apps don’t use biometric scanners, the signed-in forms would be far from the specimen signatures they have in store.
The way to resolve this would be to develop and manufacture peripherals or accessories that could be low-cost biometric scanners. These should be portable and mobile so people can bring them wherever they go.
Conclusion
Electronic signatures have yet to become universally accepted. There are still people who doubt their authenticity and reliability. Another challenge is that some other countries choose to retain their legacy paper registration systems. Even if electronic signatures would become acceptable to everyone as the new norm of signing away their consent, agreement, authorization, or approval of a document, they might not be able to do it anyway. Not everyone has a biometric scanner. Some businesses only accept electronic signatures done through biometric scanners.
