Compliance & Legal Validity

DocsAutomator's e-signature solution is designed to meet international standards for electronic signatures, ensuring your documents are legally binding across jurisdictions.

Overview

Standard
Region
Status

ESIGN Act

United States

Compliant

UETA

United States

Compliant

eIDAS (SES)

European Union

Compliant

GDPR

European Union

Compliant


United States

ESIGN Act

The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) is a federal law that grants electronic signatures the same legal status as handwritten signatures in the United States.

Key Requirements

  • Parties must demonstrate intent to sign

  • Consent to conduct business electronically

  • Association of the signature with the record

  • Record retention and reproducibility

How DocsAutomator Complies

  • Intent to Sign: Signers receive a unique, secure link via email and must actively click to access and complete their signature fields

  • Electronic Consent: By accessing the signing portal and completing fields, signers demonstrate consent to electronic transactions

  • Signature Association: Each signature is embedded directly into the PDF document with a complete audit trail linking the signer to the record

  • Record Retention: All signed documents and comprehensive audit logs are securely stored and available for download at any time


UETA

The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) provides consistent rules for electronic transactions at the state level, adopted by 49 U.S. states.

Key Requirements

  • Electronic records must be attributable to a person

  • Records must be capable of retention

  • Parties must be able to obtain copies

How DocsAutomator Complies

  • Attribution: Every signature is linked to the signer via email address, IP address, browser information, and timestamp

  • Retention: Signed documents are stored securely in cloud storage with no automatic deletion

  • Accessibility: Signers and document owners receive the completed PDF via email and can access it through the dashboard


European Union

eIDAS (Simple Electronic Signatures)

The eIDAS regulation (Electronic Identification, Authentication and Trust Services) establishes a legal framework for electronic signatures across all EU member states. DocsAutomator provides Simple Electronic Signatures (SES), which are legally valid for most business documents.

Signature Levels Under eIDAS

Level
Description
DocsAutomator

Simple (SES)

Electronic data attached to other data, used to sign

Supported

Advanced (AES)

Uniquely linked to signatory with cryptographic security

Not supported

Qualified (QES)

Created by a qualified device with a qualified certificate

Not supported

How DocsAutomator Complies with SES

  • Electronic Form: Signatures are captured digitally and embedded into the PDF document

  • Signatory Link: Each signer accesses their unique signing session via a secure, time-limited token

  • Timestamp: All actions are recorded with server timestamps in the audit trail

  • Data Integrity: Original document hash (SHA-256) is stored to detect any tampering


GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) governs the collection, processing, and storage of personal data for EU residents.

Key Requirements

  • Lawful basis for processing personal data

  • Data minimization principles

  • Right to access and deletion

  • Secure data storage and transfer

How DocsAutomator Complies

  • Lawful Basis: Personal data is processed based on contractual necessity (completing the signature request)

  • Data Minimization: We only collect information essential for the signing process: email, name, signature, and audit data

  • Data Subject Rights: Document owners can delete signing sessions and associated data upon request

  • Security: All data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest via our cloud infrastructure

  • No Third-Party Sharing: Signer data is not sold or shared with third parties for marketing purposes


Security Measures

Beyond regulatory compliance, DocsAutomator implements robust security measures to protect your documents and data.

Audit Trail

Every e-signature session maintains a comprehensive, tamper-evident audit trail that records:

  • Session creation and document generation

  • Email invitation delivery timestamps

  • When each signer accessed the signing link

  • IP address and browser information for each action

  • Individual field completion timestamps

  • Session completion and PDF finalization

Document Integrity

  • SHA-256 Hashing: A cryptographic hash of the original document is generated and stored, allowing verification that the source document was not modified

  • Certificate of Completion: Every signed document includes an automatically generated certificate page showing all signers, their signatures, and completion timestamps

Access Control

  • Secure Tokens: Each signer receives a unique 256-bit cryptographically random access token

  • Time-Limited Access: Signing links expire after a configurable period (default: 30 days)

  • Rate Limiting: Protection against brute force attacks on signing endpoints

Infrastructure Security

  • Encryption in Transit: All communications secured via TLS/HTTPS

  • Cloud Storage: Documents stored on Google Cloud infrastructure with enterprise-grade security

  • Database Security: MongoDB Atlas with encryption at rest and network isolation


Certificate of Completion

Every document signed through DocsAutomator automatically includes a Certificate of Completion page that serves as evidence of the signing process. This certificate contains:

  • Document title and completion timestamp

  • List of all signers with their names and email addresses

  • Visual reproduction of each signature

  • Unique session identifier for audit reference


Frequently Asked Questions

Are electronic signatures legally binding?

Yes. In the United States, the ESIGN Act and UETA give electronic signatures the same legal validity as handwritten signatures for most documents. In the European Union, the eIDAS regulation provides a similar legal framework.

What documents cannot be signed electronically with DocsAutomator?

DocsAutomator provides Simple Electronic Signatures (SES) compliant with standard e-signature regulations. However, some documents may require Advanced or Qualified Electronic Signatures, wet ink signatures, or notarization depending on your jurisdiction.

We recommend consulting with a legal professional to determine whether electronic signatures are appropriate for your specific use case.

How long are signed documents stored?

Signed documents and audit trails are retained indefinitely unless you choose to delete them from your workspace.

Can I verify a document's authenticity?

Yes. Each signed document includes a Certificate of Completion, and the original document hash is stored in our system for integrity verification.

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