Supporters of the Act are claiming that e-signatures, which were
given the stamp of approval in the UK by the Electronic
Communications Act 2000, will revolutionise the way companies and
consumers do business.
In terms of the UK Act, in any legal proceedings, an electronic
signature in an e-mail and the certification by any person of that
signature shall each be admissible in evidence in relation to any
question as to the authenticity of the communication or data or as
to the integrity of the communication or data.
President Clinton signed the US Act in July with a swipe of a
smart card containing his digital signature. As a precaution, he
used a pen to also sign the paper document. The Queen was expected
to digitally give royal assent to the Electronic Communications Act
by similar means, but practicalities frustrated this. Because the
Queen was to approve three other bills on the same day, she instead
signed a warrant in ink, assenting to all four bills.
