

In most situations where you would be required to sign a document, digital signatures are the ideal choice. For important legal documents, like contracts, these assurances are critical. While tracking these methods of access requires extra steps, they also help companies prove that signers aren’t fraudulent.
#How to create an electronic signature in gmail code
To execute this strategy correctly, a company may send an invitation to a signer’s email or a text code that invites them to access a document through a device that the signer controls. This includes encryption and evidence-based authentication. Digital signaturesĭuring the e-signing process, digital signatures use a specialized set of standards that help to differentiate them from simple electronic signatures. That’s why most companies opt to use digital signatures, a more secure version of e-signatures, to ensure that the individual signing a contract is who they say they are. Anyone with the right information could assume your identity and sign legal documents under your name. Anything that is determined to represent a signer could be considered an electronic signature.Īs you might expect, because everything is created and signed in a digital format, it’s easier than ever to forge signatures. With these definitions in mind, it’s important to note that e-signatures don’t have to resemble handwritten signatures at all. This is similar to the legal definition described in the eIDAS Regulation in Europe. Strictly speaking, electronic signatures are defined by the Federal ESIGN Act of 2000 as, “an electronic sound, symbol, or process, attached to or logically associated with a contract or other record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record.” Let’s take a closer look at what you need to know when creating electronic signatures and e-signing documents in Google Docs. There are different ways to sign, and how you choose to do so can determine whether your signature is considered legally valid. Unfortunately, creating electronic signatures isn’t as easy as scribbling your name on a document. As more companies and individuals opt for virtual signatures and eliminate the burdensome process of hand-signing documents, this has become a critical feature for many organizations.

What you might not know is that it’s possible to add electronic signatures to your Google Docs without ever leaving your document window. Plus, the functionality provided by Gmail and Google Drive is completely free. It’s a powerful productivity platform that comes with a set of great tools for businesses and individuals alike.

Right now, Google Workspace ( formerly G Suite) has over 2 billion monthly active users. Google Docs is one of the world’s most popular word processors.
