-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- At 10:35 AM 6/29/97 -0500, William H. Geiger III wrote:
Has there been any concideration for the difference between a digital signature that is used only for authentication and one that is legally binding??
I would hate for these Digital Signature Laws make every e-mail message I sent a legally binding document. :(
Examples of signatures that have previously been tested as legal binding signatures include not only actual signatures, but an 'X' and 'Mickey Mouse'. The intention of "legally binding" is merely the proof of authentication. So yes, I would say that all digitally signed email in now legally binding, with one exception. There has been a move to make a digital writing a writing only when both parties agree to it's usage. There is a belief that some documents should not be digital. An example is an eviction notice. Stapling a diskette to the doorframe may not be acceptable notice for eviction, as compared with a paper notice. Since most internet users are ineffective at managing their email, a legal notice deposited in an inbox may not be a desirable way to serve notice. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP for Personal Privacy 5.0 Charset: noconv iQBVAwUBM7fIiUGpGhRXg5NZAQF59wIAvsnM/U9cs69KedfZzi7XuiF+U9KICWpz vbZkDVKSwJAFvVRcKT0HDqDUlKgIa8UFo/eGfQ2oiAx+Z0lqFOYFHQ== =ylgI -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- Robert Costner Phone: (770) 512-8746 Electronic Frontiers Georgia mailto:pooh@efga.org http://www.efga.org/ run PGP 5.0 for my public key