What is the difference between digital and electronic signature?
The electronic signature is legal in nature and contains a regulatory framework in each country that gives it legal validity, which means that documents signed by electronic signature are accepted as evidence in legal proceedings. The digital signature is also legal, but it does not have a legal nature, in the sense that its purpose is NOT to attest an act of will by the signer, but only to encrypt the data of a document to provide greater security. The main difference is that while the digital signature refers to a series of cryptographic methods, the concept of electronic signature is fundamentally legal in nature, since it confers to the signature a normative framework that gives it its legal validity.

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What types of electronic signatures are there?

• Simple electronic signature.  Signature in which the association of the document with the signer can be done by any method that associates the person with the document, such as e-mail, passwords, etc.

• Advanced electronic signature (AES).  It is a type of electronic signature that provides a high level of security and trust. Due to the methods of identity verification, authenticity and integrity of the signed document.

• Qualified electronic signature (QES).  Electronic signature that meets the legal requirements to be recognized as equivalent to a handwritten signature.

• Multiple signature.  It is made by more than one person.

• Signature with time stamp. Electronic signature that includes a time stamp that shows the date and time when the signature was made, which allows long term validation or LTV, for documents with a longer than normal life cycle.

 

What documents can be electronically signed?
Any document that can be stored in digital format can be signed electronically. This includes contracts, invoices, legal documents, work documents, among others. The electronic signature allows authenticating and verifying the integrity of these documents, which gives them legal validity and provides them with a higher level of security.

How is the authenticity of an electronic signature verified?
It is verified using the information of the electronic signature stamp on the document, because it has embedded information that associates the document with the digital identity of a person, which allows us to verify whether the document was signed by a particular person, in addition to its signature date and other characteristics that allow us to reliably conclude that the document was signed correctly.

 

What requirements must be met in order to create an electronic signature?
Comply with the following principles: (1) integrity, (2) authenticity, (3) accessibility of the signed document and (4) non-repudiation of the document.

 

In which countries does it cover?
Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama and Peru, but we follow the international standards made by the eIDAS and the EU, allowing us to expand to Europe and North America.

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How do you guarantee the security of electronic signatures?
Based on the requirements of the advanced electronic signature, integrity, authenticity and non-repudiation are guaranteed. This is done in multiple ways, mainly by verifying the identity of the signer, who creates his/her identity to sign a document, associating it with the document by means of a stamp, which at the same time protects the integrity of the document, using a certificate with long-lasting validation and a verification hash.

How can your electronic signature be integrated into business processes?
It can be integrated into business processes through the digitization of services that require document signatures. This can include forms for information gathering, contracts and promissory notes. Signing them, implementing approval workflows that allow documents to be signed online, and integrating electronic signatures with document management and business process management systems. 

What happens if the device used for the electronic signature is lost or damaged?
The advanced electronic signature does not depend on a specific device or certificate, since security and non-repudiation depend on the verification and authentication of the signer, so that the user can sign from any device that allows them to authenticate their digital identity.

How is the integrity of electronically signed documents ensured?
The integrity of electronically signed documents is demonstrated by the certificate issued by anteia, which shows information about the document and its corresponding HASH code, since it shows the date and time of each alteration, with the certificate, and any copy of the PDF document, it is possible to demonstrate that the document was not altered.

 

What systems or technologies are used for electronic signatures?
The advanced electronic signature can use multiple methods and mechanisms to generate an electronic signature, so the implementation of technologies differ from each other. In anteia, different identity verification technologies are used, such as biometric verification, identity document validity, GPS, OTP, email verification, among others. In cases where authentication is required, biometric comparisons are performed using visual recognition and comparison algorithms, which allow us, with high reliability, to validate that the authenticated person is who he/she claims to be.

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How is the authentication of users who make electronic signatures performed?
The verification method is dynamic, that is, depending on the case it can be done with different methods, one of the safest because of its relationship with the digital identity is the facial biometric signature, which allows to check that the person signing at the time is who he says he is, however, there are alternatives such as the OTP to mobile devices or email, which allows to verify that the user has access to their devices or email.

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How can electronic signatures be stored and managed?
The result of an electronic signature is the signed document and the signature certificate, due to the need to keep the document available, it can be kept and viewed at any time, so it is stored in a way that it cannot be modified, but it can be consulted. Document management makes it possible to review the signers, the document and the verification methods.

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What are the legal implications of electronic signatures?
By the principle of functional equivalence, the electronic signature that is associated with the signatory is integral, reliable, valid for judicial execution purposes; as long as, it is complied with that the signature creation data, in the context in which they are used, correspond exclusively to the signatory; it is possible to detect any alteration of the electronic signature made after the moment of the signature or later, and when security is given to the whole process from the reception of the data message, to the association of the signatory with the document object of the electronic signature.

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What are the mechanisms for signing?
Biometric or OTP fingerprint or one with multi-factor verification or combinations of these.

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Can several documents be signed simultaneously?
Yes, it is possible, and the user must be able to review what he/she is signing, so signature rejection is an important component of this functionality.

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How many signatures can I sign in a document?
As many as necessary, depending on the case, however, we recommend that there are no more than 8 signers per document, for simplicity of handling these documents.