Fax vs Scanned Signatures

[Drew Lehman - DigitaTech]

These ia an interesting article by Bruce Schneier about why we accept
faxed signatures through unsecured pots lines and why we can't accept
scanned signatures through email.

"Aren't fax signatures the weirdest thing? It's trivial to cut and paste
-- with real scissors and glue -- anyone's signature onto a document so
that it'll look real when faxed. There is so little security in fax
signatures that it's mind-boggling that anyone accepts them. Yet people
do, all the time. I've signed book contracts, credit card
authorizations, nondisclosure..."

http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/06/fax_signatures.html

Slashdot post - http://it.slashdot.org/it/08/06/03/1317221.shtml


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[Warren E. Agin]

But using the UETA or E-sign, we can accept scanned signatures through e-mail. It's not even a close question.

There are even a couple of court decisions out there suggesting that if someone says "I agree" during a digitally recorded conversation, it can be a valid signature under the UETA.

Prior to the UETA and E-sign and similar statutes, it wasn't the fax of the signature that was considered valid, but the original signature presumably still at the other end of the faxing process. If the person in possession of the original signature refused to produce the document or shredded it, the fax could be used as evidence that the original signature had, in fact, existed. For many purposes this was perfectly acceptable. Of course, the same concept will apply to a scan of a real signature.

Regards,

- Warren Agin
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  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Drew Lehman
  To: CYBERIA-L@...
  Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 10:44 AM
  Subject: Fax vs Scanned Signatures


  These ia an interesting article by Bruce Schneier about why we accept
  faxed signatures through unsecured pots lines and why we can't accept
  scanned signatures through email.

  "Aren't fax signatures the weirdest thing? It's trivial to cut and paste
  -- with real scissors and glue -- anyone's signature onto a document so
  that it'll look real when faxed. There is so little security in fax
  signatures that it's mind-boggling that anyone accepts them. Yet people
  do, all the time. I've signed book contracts, credit card
  authorizations, nondisclosure..."

  http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2008/06/fax_signatures.html

  Slashdot post - http://it.slashdot.org/it/08/06/03/1317221.shtml


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  Off-Topic threads: http://www.lawlists.net/mailman/listinfo/cyberia-ot
  Need more help? Send mail to: Cyberia-L-Request@...
  **********************************************************************


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