The Sumerians used intricate seals, applied into their clay cuneiform tablets using rollers, to authenticate their writings. It is probably not surprising that the inventors of writing, the Sumerians, were also the inventors of an authentication mechanism. Why We Sign, How We Sign - A Brief History of Authentication Finally, the paper will suggest that although digital signatures will likely revolutionize electronic commerce, handwritten signatures will almost certainly continue to be used for some purposes into the foreseeable future.
The legal and business communities are rushing to adopt these new cryptographic signature techniques to replace handwritten signatures - but how analogous are handwritten and digital signatures? This paper will explore the similarities and differences between traditional and cryptographic signatures from a technical, legal and practical perspective. Within the past few years, cryptography has made a new way to affix signatures practical. Signatures have been applied in much the same way since ancient times - by scribing one’s own name. People in positions of authority can certify the existence of a person with a signature on a birth certificate, or end a life with a signature on a death warrant. Paper for MIT 6.805/STS085: Ethics and Law on the Electronic Frontier, FallĪ Comparison of Digital and Handwritten Signatures David Fillingham Introductionĭuring the course of our lives, we sign our name many thousands of times - on checks, applications for loans, marriage licenses - the list is endless. 6.805/STS085: A Comparison of Digital and Handwritten Signatures
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