E-Signatures

This article documents our actions and standards taken around providing legally valid E-Signatures.

In a world that is rapidly moving towards Online Services instead of Paper Based processes, E-Signatures are a powerful tool for any service that requires a signature for approval.

The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) and the passage of the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) solidified eSignatures as legally binding and globally acceptable.

Legally Binding

The ESIGN Act, in addition to the UETA, have explicitly stated that electronic records and eSignatures are equally as enforceable as handwritten signatures.

“A document or signature cannot be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form.”

Intent to Sign

It is important to understand that regardless of the format in which it is submitted, a signature will only be valid if the signer intends to sign. GovOS Studio uses a comprehensive audit trail of document activity to demonstrate that a signature is unequivocally intentional.

Audit Trail

In addition to being eSignature compliant, GovOS Studio employs additional methods of security:

(a) Keeps a full audit trail of all document activity

(b) Creates an identifiable, non-tamperable, unique signature associated with each document

(c) Uses the latest in cryptographic technology (256 bit AES encryption) to ensure that a document is never tampered with

(d) Employs (Transport Layer Security) TLS 1.2 to ensure the integrity of the document audit trail so the trace cannot be altered

Consent to Do Business Electronically

A GovOS Studio eSignature allows for multiple checks and balances to ensure ESIGN compliance; we verify that the signer is notified of their intent every step of the way:

(a) A signer receives information detailing their actions automatically

(b) A signer must consent to eSign in order to move forward

(c) An administrator has the ability to deny an eSignature

(d) A user has the option to print out the document if preferred

Records Retention

The UETA stipulates that a record containing an electronic signature be enforceable by law if:

(a) It is capable of being retained

(b) It is accessible by any signing party

GovOS Studio ensures that it abides by record retention compliance law for all parties regardless of the status of an account. In addition, we allow for the export of your documents and data at any time.

Court Admissibility

Any document signed using GovOS Studio is completely secure and therefore admissible in a court of law. The platform features bank grade security measures, a user accessible document activity feed, an audit trail, the encryption of specific desired fields, password protected documents, and document access permissions. These security measures make it easy for our users to manage their document’s security.

Any GovOS Studio form is admissible in court because we provide our users with all of the data necessary to successfully enforce an eSignature. We ensure that your documents are not only protected, but provide an activity trail documenting every action on a document.