What is the advanced electronic signature?

What is the advanced electronic signature? This is a question being asked by more and more companies that use the Internet as an indispensable and ideal tool for the provision of their services due to its accessibility and speed, but who at the same time look for security.

The concept of the advanced electronic signature has arisen in response to this need to improve confidence in electronic transactions and communications, among others.

In this post we analyse what the advanced electronic signature is, its differences with regards to the other existing electronic signatures and the benefits it provides any company worried about its digital transformation.

Definition according to Regulation 910/2014

According to article 26 of Regulation 910/2014 (known as eIDAS), on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the European Union, the advanced electronic signature is that which complies with the following requirements:

a) is linked to the signatory in a unique way;
b) allows the identification of the signatory;
c) has been created using the creation data of the electronic signature that the signatory can use, with a high level of trust, under its exclusive control, and
d) is linked to the data signed by the same in such a way that any subsequent modification thereof is detectable.

This wording with regard to the wording referred to in the previous regulations, both the Spanish electronic signature law and the European Directive. eIDAS allows the signature creation device, even under the exclusive control of the signatory, to be located in devices that are not hardware, for example in software or even in cloud-based devices.

What is the advanced electronic signature?

The advanced electronic signature is a set of data that is attached to an electronic message, whose purpose is to identify the signatory as the author thereof in a unique way, as if it were a handwritten signature.

Due to its characteristics, it provides the user’s electronic transactions with added security as it is possible to identify the signatory and also verify that the message has not been modified.

In this case, this type of signature allows us to guarantee the integrity of the signed content, in other words, that the signed content has not undergone any type of alteration or modification from the moment it was signed.

What is the main difference with respect to the simple electronic signature?

The identification of the signatory is the main difference between the simple electronic signature and the advanced electronic signature. While the simple electronic signature does not necessarily identify the signatory, in the advanced electronic signature it is an essential requirement.

This difference is key when signing contracts or content in which the risk taken is high or where current legislation requires identification for “non-repudiation”, as in the case of the financial sector in order to comply with international money laundering and financing of terrorism regulations.

And with respect to the qualified electronic signature?

The qualified electronic signature is an advanced electronic signature but it is created through a qualified electronic signature device that meets special requirements listed in the eIDAS regulation.

Today, the only qualified signature creation devices are based on hardware devices used on the signatory’s side with the limitations of usability that they entail. For example, DNIe readers or some keyboards with access to the polycarbonate cards where the electronic certificate is recorded.

Signaturit is a Qualified Trust Services Provider for the services of issuance of qualified time stamps and issuance of qualified certificates of a natural person for qualified electronic signature. In this sense, the company has successfully passed the certification audits necessary to be able to provide these services and is on the list of Qualified Providers of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation.

Signaturit’s advanced electronic signature

Signaturit offers an advanced electronic signature creation system that complies with each of the 4 legal requirements established by the European Regulation.  How?

• Thanks to a Timestamping Authority we guarantee the integrity of the signature and ensure that it can only be associated with a single signatory.

• To identify the signatory, we collect a large volume of technical information such as the address of origin of the request, the place where the signature was made, the time of signing, etc., and biometric data of the graph such as the points that make up the graph, its position, speed and acceleration for example.
  
  Thus, we can make this information available to a handwriting expert in the event of a dispute so the expert can carry out a signature analysis.
• Our platform’s versatility, which allows documents to be signed easily from any computer, smartphone or tablet through an email ensures full control of the advanced electronic signature by the signatory.

  It is only necessary to use a finger, a cursor or the mouse, and therefore no other person is involved who could falsify the process.

• Finally, we prevent any further change in the signature and, by extension, we guarantee to the applicant and signatory that the signature obtained cannot be modified after it has been signed. To do this, we encrypt the documentation generated based on encryption standards which guarantee its integrity 100%.

Benefits of Signaturit’s advanced electronic signature

Using the advanced electronic signature implies companies taking a step forward in terms of productivity and confronting the information security challenges that we facetoday.

Our advanced electronic signature solution, in addition to enabling contracts and documents to be signed online – thus indicating the consent, approval, authorization or acceptance of the content of the document and/or the terms and conditions of a contract – provides the following advantages:

• It is suitable for signing any type of document
• It simplifies processes and reduces document processing times
• It increases employee productivity
• It reduces the costs associated with printing documents
• It offers better legal cover in legal proceedings and less risks than traditional signatures thanks to the electronic and biometric data collected.
• It contributes to respecting the environment due to lower paper consumption.
• Rapid access to information as the signed documents are stored digitally, so it is much more accessible when it comes to searching.

In summary:

The advanced electronic signature ensures the veracity of the identity and integrity of the signed data. Furthermore, it is admissible legal evidence as evidence in a trial.

Conclusion, the advanced electronic signature is legal and safe for every variety of document and transaction

The advanced electronic signature, as it has been defined, provides a clear added value from the point of view of the security of communications, which is why it is becoming increasingly common.

A multitude of companies of different sizes, with the aim of streamlining processes and adding an additional layer of security to their communications, have incorporated our advanced electronic signature system and been able to enjoy its benefits.

If you want to enjoy the benefits of the electronic signature, get in touch with us through the following form, or call us directly on +34 960 03 12 03.

* First published on 06/05/2018