Digital Signatures

Have you been asked to sign a document with a digital signature? Don't know how to do it? Here's the rundown. The built-in signatures in Word and Acrobat don't have any identity information. You must use a third-party for verification, like Verisign. If you're asked to have a digital copy of your signature, then you might as well just fax it. If someone verifies your identity via signature, this is just transferring paper-based authentication to digital forms, without digital authentication. Just because you scan your signature, and then paste into a document, just means that someone else can copy it and steal your identity!

Using Adobe Acrobat (full version, not Reader) you can digitally secure pdf documents.

1. First download the Verisign plug-in for Acrobat.
2. Open Acrobat, in the Tools menu you should see Verisign Document Signer.
3. Click on Create Digital ID. It takes you to their web site.
4. You but a Digital ID, for $20 for the year.

I didn't buy it yet, so I'm just speculating on what happens next.

Then select that ID. You send the document. And then it somehow is authenticated via Verisign.