Digital signatures enhance the ability of contracting parties to authenticate electronic communication. Sophisticated encryption and decryption technology is used to verify the identity of the other party to the electronic transaction. Digital signature law, necessary for adjudication of disputes between parties in E-Commerce, is still in its infancy. These are conclusions by Prof. Stephen E. Blythe, Professor of Business, Warner Southern College, Florida. In an article published in the Richmond Journal of Law & Technology, Volume XI, Issue 2 (2005) (http:∥law.richmond.edu/jolt/vl li2/article6.pdf) Blythe covers basic digital signature law of the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The article identifies several types of electronic signatures, explains Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology and how it makes digital signatures more effective than other types of electronic signatures; provides a concise summary of the United Nations, European Union, UK and US digital signature and E-Commerce laws; and evaluates these laws in terms of their facilitation of E-Commerce; and recommends changes in the law to encourage a greater use of E-Commerce.
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