03-09-2009, 02:01 AM
In todayâ„¢s commercial environment, establishing a framework for the authentication of computer-based information requires a familiarity with concepts and professional skills from both the legal and computer security fields. Combining these two disciplines is not an easy task. Concepts from the information security field often correspond only loosely to concepts from the legal field, even in situations where the terminology is similar. For example, from the information security point of view, digital signature means the result of applying to specific information certain specific technical processes described below. The historical legal concept of signature is broader. It recognizes any mark made with the intention of authenticating the marked document. In a digital setting, todayâ„¢s broad legal concept of signature may well include markings as diverse as digitized images of paper signatures, typed notations such as /a/Abb SSh, or even addressing notations, such as electronic mail origination headers.
