The e-signature working group has the following objectives:
- Produce a list of use cases where e-Signatures could be used:
- Detail if signatures are typically witnessed today. If so, are relatives excluded.
- Determine if there are use cases where a qualified certificate may suffice, rather than a witness being required.
- Determine if they leverage countersignatures (e.g. from IFAs) confirming the counter signatory has done appropriate due diligence and risk assessment on the signee. The counter signatory is not a legal witness in this respect.
- Map use cases against types of signature.
- Establish how we create qualified eSignatures in the UK
- Can the UK Trust Framework be a nationally recognised identification method and include robust non-face to face options for QES creation, for example by leveraging a Digital ID of an appropriate level of assurance?
- Authenticators such as card readers, which are expensive and may create a commercial barrier in terms of adoption might be needed. Can cheaper, more convenient biometric authenticators that have the same strength in PSD2 for instance be leveraged?
- Help the UK government team with:
- the definition of the use of e-Signatures in the UK Trust Framework
- understand the scope and opportunity for e-Signature use.
This working group is run in collaboration with TISA.