Are electronic signatures legal, secure and safe?

Short answer? Yes. Long answer? Read on to see how DocuSign ensures that all of the electronic signatures on its platform are completely secure and meet legal requirements here in Australia and around the world.

Secure and safe, that’s for sure

If you’ve ever seen one of DocuSign’s certificates of completion, then you’ll know how secure the platform is. These certificates are generated when all the right people have signed the document – and they contain a concise report of all the actions that have been completed.

They include the signers’ names, email addresses, IP addresses, signatures and time stamps. And, for the security-conscious out there, they also include tamper-evident seals to prevent users from making any changes to the document once it has been signed. These seals actually make DocuSign agreements more secure than paper-based ones.

As well as the security of the certificate of completion, DocuSign works hard behind the scenes to make sure that all agreements are safe and secure. We can proudly say that our digital signatures are secure in more ways than any other eSignature provider.

You can learn all about how we keep your information, documents and data secure in our Trust Centre, but here’s a summary of the main things we do from a security perspective:

• We have invested in all the certifications needed to demonstrate regulatory and industry compliance, including ISO 27001, SSAE16, PCI DSS 2.0, TRUSTe, SafeHarbor and HIPAA certification
• We continually drive industry best practices in third-party audits and certifications, third-party assessments and on-site customer reviews
• Full encryption capabilities for documents, providing maximum privacy and security
• Robust anti-tamper controls so you can count on the integrity of your DocuSigned documents
• Stringent requirements for data protection, identity verification and security controls

Legally binding in Australia and overseas

In Australia, the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Cth) states that electronic signatures are acceptable whenever a signature is required by law, with the exception of migration and citizenship documents, bills of exchange, wills, power of attorney, and some real estate transactions.

DocuSign’s eSignature solution meets the requirements for a valid electronic signature under section 10 of the Electronic Transactions Act.

It’s legal around the world, too. In the United States, our solution complies with the definition of an electronic signature under the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (ESIGN) Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA). In the United Kingdom, the equivalent legislation to the ESIGN Act is the Electronic Communications Act 2000, which our solution also complies with. The same goes across the EU, with our eSignatures compliant with eIDAS and EU electronic signature technical standards.

Many other countries have adopted an electronic signature law or recognise electronic signatures, and DocuSign proudly meets the definition of a valid electronic signature under the vast majority of those laws. If in doubt, chat to us or a legal representative in the country you’re dealing with.

Satisfied?

If you have any questions or concerns about the security or safety of DocuSign, we’re always here to help.

Or, if you’re confident that the DocuSign eSignature ticks all the right boxes from a legal, security and safety perspective, why don’t you start your free trial today?