Georgia is one of the states in which private business, as well as government transactions, are increasingly performed electronically. This is convenient for the reason that paper workflow is less adapted to a quick search, suitable auditing. It also does not allow secure remote signing of documents. In Georgia, electronic documents and signatures are subject to US law and the state itself.
The legality of electronic signatures in DigiSigner
With the DigiSigner online service, you can opt out of paper documents and work with clients and partners even on other continents. The service offers a wide range of functions for signing papers, sending and receiving them, downloading and uploading them to cloud storage.
To sign, upload a new document via the Upload button from your device or Dropbox cloud services or Google Drive. To immediately put your signature, click Sign, and then select the place in the document where your details are required. In the right place, click the left mouse button and choose the type of signature:
- mouse or trackpad;
- loading scan from the device;
- text entry;
- snapshot on webcam.
By signing it, you can adjust it by size and position on the page, but as soon as you press Done, making edits will no longer be available – you will not be able to delete your signature from the document.
To send to the second side, click Send for Signing. Documents signed by other participants, but not endorsed by you, will be located in the Waiting for me folder.
If you sign a wide array of documents, create a template with your name, position, and other necessary data to connect it to the document in one click. To track the process of signing by other members, go to the Waiting for different section.
The encryption and privacy technologies used in DigiSigner comply with all requirements of Georgia law.
Electronic Signature Law in Georgia
Georgia, along with other states, adopted the Uniform Electronic Transaction Act – UETA. It specifies the standards for the use of electronic digital details, but it does not oblige companies to use electronic signatures instead of written ones. The main provisions of the law:
- any record or signature cannot lose legal weight because it has been submitted in electronic form;
- if the electronic signature is used in the formation of the contract, it does not lose legal weight and the need to execute its clauses;
- if the law requires a signature, the electronic details may satisfy this requirement;
- if by law the document must be signed in writing, the electronic signature also meets the requirements.
The signature itself cannot be considered as part of a contract or agreement.
Under Georgia law, electronic signatures have the following purpose:
- approval: through the signature, the person expresses permission, intention or approval, gives the legal document weight, and also imposes responsibility on the signatory;
- certificate: the signature certifies that the document is authentic, connects it with the signer;
- responsibility: The signing process excludes the possibility of putting a signature “through carelessness” and draws the attention of signatories to the fact that they accept responsibility.
To give the document a legal weight, the parties must agree in advance that they keep the documentation in electronic format. Once a transaction in this form does not oblige any of the parties to continue to conduct business in electronic format.
Functions of Electronic Signatures
The law does not give preference to any particular type of digital signature. The main thing is to provide the requisites:
- absolute data integrity;
- attribution – the advantage is granted by the signature of the client/partner, and not his representative;
- reliability – it is impossible to disprove the fact that you have signed this document;
- safety – proof of the integrity of the content after signing.
For the established requisites to have legal weight, they must meet the following requirements:
- the signature using the password is used in combination with electronic printing and painting;
- it must be possible to verify the authenticity of the technology by which the electronic signature is established
- the signature must be unique to the person;
- details must confirm that the person had the intention to be associated with the document and take on obligations;
- full awareness of the signatory process.
The law does not provide for the use of any specific encryption technology. The main requirement is the ability to verify this technology and the authenticity of the painting if necessary, and then the signature will be considered legal.