Difference Between Certified and Uncertified Electronic Signature

A certified Electronic Signature (TTE) is a written identity that indicates the validity of documents made online. When signing digital documents, you cannot do wet signatures as usual. Therefore, you need a certified Electronic Signature for your daily life.

Through this article, you will learn what a certified Electronic Signature is. In addition, you will also be able to find out what are the differences between certified and non-certified Electronic Signatures. Let’s see the full explanation below!

What is the Certified Electronic Signature?

Electronic Signatures (TTE) are indeed divided into two, namely certified and non-certified TTE. Certified TTE is a signature used as a means of verification and authentication of digital documents using an electronic certificate issued by the Indonesian Electronic Certificate Operator (PSrE) which has been recognized by the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Ministry of Communication and Informatics).

On the other hand, an uncertified Electronic Signature is a digital signature that is not issued by a PSrE that has been registered and recognized by Kominfo. Generally, uncertified TTE is only a scan of someone’s wet signature. An uncertified TTE can indeed indicate that the document belongs to or is on behalf of the signatory. However, its validity cannot be recognized by law because it is only a scanned result of a wet signature.

Read also: Signature Forgery: How to Report and Legal Sanctions

What is the Validity of a Certified Electronic Signature?

A certified TTE is a digital signature that uses an Electronic Certification issued by a PSrE that has been officially registered and recognized by Kominfo. So, documents attached with certified TTE have legality and integrity that can be accounted for in the eyes of the law. So, all digital documents signed by a certified TTE are documents that are declared valid by applicable law.

To check whether an Electronic Signature in a document is certified or not, you can check directly on the PSrE Kominfo website here. Apart from the website, you can also check it by opening the document and viewing the information on the TTE by simply clicking on it. Later, a certified TTE will display its certification information.

Differences between the Certified and Uncertified Electronic Signature

Of course, there are some differences between certified and non-certified TTEs. The following are some of the differences between the two that you need to know.

1. Form

A certified TTE is a cryptographic mechanism that is usually embedded in a TTE. The information attached is not just a signature, but encrypted data and an electronic certificate from the owner of the signature. So, the authenticity of documents signed using a certified TTE can be guaranteed.

On the other hand, uncertified TTE is a signature that is stored in a digital document but does not have electronic certificate data in it. An uncertified TTE is usually just a scan of someone’s wet signature, so you can’t verify the legitimacy of the TTE like with a certified TTE.

2. Creation Process

The process to go through to make TTE certified is relatively more complicated because you have to use e-KYC verification and apply asymmetric cryptographic methods. In a certified TTE, there will be data regarding its electronic certification indicating its legitimacy. Meanwhile, in uncertified TTE, only wet signatures are scanned and used as proof of the “legitimacy” of the TTE.

Read also: Knowing the Definition of KYC and the Benefits of Its Implementation

3. Validation

When receiving a digital document, you can carry out a validation process to check whether the document is valid in the eyes of the law or not by checking the signatures on it. Of course, a digital document with a certified TTE is a document with guaranteed validity.

You can check the validity of the Electronic Signature by checking it directly on Kominfo PSrE website. Apart from that, you can also check the signature by clicking on it. If information regarding electronic certification appears, then the TTE is certified. If not, then the TTE is not certified and illegal according to the law.

4. Legal Strength

Certified TTE has been registered in the Kominfo database, so its legal force is legal and valid. You can find the legal basis for self-certified TTE in Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning Electronic Information and Transactions and Article 52 Paragraph 2 of Government Regulation Number 82 of 2012. Meanwhile, non-certified TTE has no legal force at all.

Certified Electronic Signature Only with AdIns Digital Signature

A signature is a written sign of a person’s identity as a sign of whether a document is valid or not. In general, signatures are made by hand using a pen or what is commonly called a wet signature. In this digital era, digital documents must be signed using legally certified TTE.

A certified TTE can streamline your work time and avoid human error. When signing a document in person using a wet signature, you need to meet directly with the two parties who will sign the document or it takes days to send the document to the other party.

In addition, sometimes humans also often make mistakes in a document, such as misplacing a signature which results in the document having to be printed and re-signed. Now, by using a certified TTE, you can avoid all these problems. In addition, certified TTE has proven its legitimacy, so you don’t need to be afraid of dealing with the authorities if something goes wrong. If you are interested in using a certified Electronic Signature, it’s time for you to use Digital Signature only from AdIns. Complete your company’s digital needs with e-KYC to attract a wider market through the digital world. Contact AdIns right now to get further information about these well-proven services!