ABSTRACT
In 2000, a bill was passed in the United States making digital signatures as legally binding to contracts as manuscript signatures written with an ink pen on paper. Other countries already had similar litigation or have followed suit, and now digital signatures are in widespread use internationally. What exactly constitutes a “digital signature” is broad in scope, and the terminology for this new and evolving type of signature has caused confusion even among forensic experts. Because there is variance in terminology relating to digital, electronic, and biometric signatures, this section will attempt to clarify (and perhaps help to standardize) terminology. In addition, a glossary focusing on digital handwriting technology is provided at the end of the book.
