Editing Electronic signature (section)

==Description==
The USA's [[Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act|E-Sign Act]],<ref name="Alicia Prince">{{cite web
|title=Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act
|date=June 17, 2000 }}</ref><ref name="Alicia Prince 2">{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/17/technology/electronic-signatures-in-global-and-national-commerce-act.html
|date=June 17, 2000 |title=Electronic-Signature Bill Is Approved by the Senate
|author1=Lizette Alvarez |author2=Jeri Clausing}}</ref> signed June 30, 2000 by [[Bill Clinton|President Clinton]] was described months later as "more like a seal than a signature."<ref name=BadSIGNs>{{cite magazine=[[The Industry Standard]]
|date=October 30, 2000 |page=116 |author=Bruce Schmier |title=Bad Signs}}</ref>

An electronic signature is intended to provide a secure and accurate identification method for the signatory during a transaction.
Definitions of electronic signatures vary depending on the applicable [[jurisdiction (area)|jurisdiction]]. A common denominator in most countries is the level of an [[advanced electronic signature]] requiring that:
# The [[signature|signatory]] can be uniquely identified and linked to the signature
# The signatory must have sole control of the [[Public-key cryptography|private key]] that was used to create the electronic signature
# The signature must be capable of identifying if its accompanying data has been tampered with after the message was signed
# In the event that the accompanying data has been changed, the signature must be invalidated<ref name="Turner-AdvancedESig" />

Electronic signatures may be created with increasing levels of security, with each having its own set of requirements and means of creation on various levels that prove the validity of the signature. To provide an even stronger [[Relevance (law)|probative value]] than the above described advanced electronic signature, some countries like member states of the European Union or Switzerland introduced the qualified electronic signature. It is difficult to challenge the authorship of a statement signed with a [[qualified electronic signature]] - the statement is [[non-repudiation|non-repudiable]].<ref name="Turner-Understanding-eIDAS">{{cite web|last1=Turner|first1=Dawn M.|title=Understanding eIDAS|url=http://www.cryptomathic.com/news-events/blog/understanding-eidas|publisher=Cryptomathic|access-date=7 June 2016|archive-date=April 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420084105/http://www.cryptomathic.com/news-events/blog/understanding-eidas|url-status=live}}</ref>  Technically, a qualified electronic signature is implemented through an advanced electronic signature that utilizes a digital certificate, which has been encrypted through a security signature-creating device<ref name="Turner-QualifiedElectronicSignature">{{cite web|last1=Turner|first1=Dawn M.|title=Qualified Electronic Signatures for eIDAS|url=http://www.cryptomathic.com/news-events/blog/qualified-electronic-signatures-for-eidas|publisher=Cryptomathic|access-date=7 June 2016|archive-date=May 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523061250/http://www.cryptomathic.com/news-events/blog/qualified-electronic-signatures-for-eidas|url-status=live}}</ref> and which has been authenticated by a [[Qualified electronic signature#Qualified trust service providers|qualified trust service provider]].<ref name="Turner-TSPs">{{cite web|last1=Turner|first1=Dawn M.|title=Trust Service Providers according to eIDAS|url=http://www.cryptomathic.com/news-events/blog/trust-service-providers-according-to-eidas|publisher=Cryptomathic|access-date=23 June 2016|archive-date=July 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711110548/http://www.cryptomathic.com/news-events/blog/trust-service-providers-according-to-eidas|url-status=live}}</ref>