By LibreSign
The agility and convenience of using technology to our advantage to reduce time and costs have made digital signatures a viable alternative for businesses, especially after the pandemic period. In an increasingly competitive market, saving time and resources, increasing productivity, and investing in sustainability have become essential to improving the customer experience. The digital signature market in Brazil is on the rise, and to ensure the authenticity and integrity of this service, we need to better understand what it is, its types, advantages, and how to obtain it.
What is a digital signature?
A digital signature is a secure technology for authenticating electronic documents for individuals or companies, with legal validity. We live in a scenario where the exchange of information increasingly occurs online, making it necessary to ensure the guarantee, integrity, and authenticity of documents.
Digital signatures use encryption to validate the user's identity and ensure that the document's content has not been altered after signing. This means that the signature has the same legal value as a handwritten signature recognized by a notary. However, digital signatures eliminate the need for sending, storing, archiving, copying, and retrieving paper documents.
It is important to clarify that a digital signature is a type of electronic signature, but not all electronic signatures are digital. What does this mean? It means there are different ways to sign a document electronically, and it is essential to understand them.
What are the types of digital signatures?
As we’ve seen, a digital signature is a technology to confirm the identity of the signer, whether an individual or a company, and the authenticity of the document. But to understand the types of digital signatures, we need to know the categories of signatures that exist. Currently, there are four types of signatures: handwritten, scanned, electronic, and digital.
Comparison of Handwritten, Electronic, and Digital Signatures
1 - Handwritten Signature
Description
The most traditional type of authentication, made manually with a pen on physical documents.
Characteristics and Security
- Requires in-person signing with a physical copy of the document.
- Security depends on external factors, such as signature recognition at a notary office.
- Requires physical storage of documents.
Examples of Use
- Signing company contracts.
- Signature recognition at a notary office.
- Formal physical documents.
2 - Electronic Signature
Description
A digitally performed signature, which can have different security levels according to Law 14.063/20 (Simple, Advanced, and Qualified Signatures).
Characteristics and Security
- Simple: Identifies the signer using basic evidence (email, password, phone). Suitable for low-risk situations.
- Advanced: Uses cryptographic methods and corporate digital certificates (ICP-Brasil or external). Suitable for legal and financial transactions.
- Qualified: Requires a digital certificate issued by a Certification Authority (CA) accredited by ICP-Brasil. Provides the highest level of security and detects any modifications made after signing.
Examples of Use
- Simple: Reports, receipts, service bookings.
- Advanced: Financial transactions, sensitive contracts.
- Qualified: Electronic invoices, health records, real estate transactions.
3 - Digital Signature
Description
A type of qualified electronic signature with a high level of security.
Characteristics and Security
- Requires a digital certificate issued by a CA under the ICP-Brasil standard.
- The most secure form of electronic signature.
- Ensures document integrity and authenticity, preventing undetected alterations.
Examples of Use
- Signing official documents.
- Property transfers.
- Issuing electronic invoices.
What are the advantages of digital signatures?
While physical signatures can be forged, compromising the validity of your documents, digital signatures, regulated by Provisional Measure No. 2.200-2/2001, provide the necessary security to protect the authenticity and legal validity of your documents with speed, authenticity, and integrity. Here are the five main advantages:
- Time savings: You save time that would be spent on manual processes, as digital signatures can be completed much faster and more efficiently, speeding up contract closures and negotiations.
- Cost reduction: By eliminating the need for physical storage space for company documents, you reduce costs associated with paper, printing supplies, transportation, postal services, couriers, notary fees, and more.
- Security: Digital signatures are protected by encryption, making them the most secure way to validate electronic documents. When using digital certificates issued by a Certification Authority, it is possible to guarantee the user’s identity and the document’s integrity, reducing the risk of fraud and forgery. Therefore, investing in information security is crucial to protect data, clients, and the company’s reputation.
- Sustainability: By using cloud storage instead of physical paper, we contribute to the environment and avoid the unnecessary use of resources.
- Organization and mobility: Easy access to documents since they are stored electronically and can be accessed and signed from anywhere with an internet connection.
How can I obtain a digital signature?
The LibreCode cooperative offers a digital signature platform called LibreSign, accessible via mobile devices or computers. This platform provides affordable and collaborative solutions, giving clients technological autonomy. Among its main features are the convenience of digitally signing documents and managing them through a Signature Portal compliant with Brazilian legal standards, such as the LGPD (General Data Protection Law) and ICP-Brasil.
LibreSign offers functionalities tailored to the specific needs of each organization. The platform’s solutions are based on open-source software, promoting open access to knowledge and collaboration, ensuring clients’ sovereignty over the technology they use. The service focuses on customization and accessibility, catering to small businesses, large organizations, and government entities alike.
Security breaches can have serious consequences for a brand, including data loss, unauthorized access to confidential information, and damage to a company’s reputation. With this in mind, LibreSign’s greatest advantage is its security effectiveness. The platform implements multi-factor authentication (MFA), which further restricts unauthorized access and ensures that only verified individuals can sign documents. It also allows signer identification through various factors, such as email tokens, SMS, and WhatsApp messages. This method requires users to provide two or more forms of verification before accessing and signing documents, making the signing process much more secure. Each document is encrypted from sending to final signature. This ensures that your information remains secure at every step, meaning only authorized recipients can access and read the document’s content.
To learn more about our service, contact us at +55 (21) 2042-2073 or via email at contato@librecode.coop. Schedule a demo and discover how we can improve your document management and administrative efficiency. Also, check out our next topic: “How to create a digital signature.”