Understanding Public-Key Infrastructure: Concepts, Standards, and Deployment Considerations

Legal Status of Digital Signatures

There are a significant number of legislative efforts designed (at least in part) to attach a legal significance to digital signatures in the same vein as handwritten signatures. Since the original conception of the Utah Digital Signature Act and the American Bar Association (ABA) Digital Signature Guidelines [ABA], it is interesting to note that every U.S. state has either adopted or is ready to adopt some form of "electronic signature" or "digital signature" legislation. (See http://www.mbc.com/ds_sum.html for a summary of existing and planned legislation.) There are also more than 20 countries that have developed (or are developing) legislation or guidelines in this area (see http://www.mbc.com/ds_sum.html ...