Australia Moves Towards Digital Statutory Declarations (theguardian.com) 22
The days of signing on the dotted line may be numbered -- at least in Australia. From a report: The federal government has announced it is taking statutory declarations into the digital age, saying it will accept electronic signatures and video link witnessing from next year. It makes permanent a change introduced during the pandemic, when attending a justice of the peace (JP) for a statutory declaration -- a practice that goes back to the 19th century -- was forbidden under lockdown restrictions.
Legislation introduced this week by the federal attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, will also allow people to digitally execute a statutory declaration using the online platform myGov and the myGovID Digital ID. Dreyfus says the bill is intended to keep with the changing ways of Australians. "This bill will respond to how Australians want and expect to engage and communicate digitally with government by providing options to make commonwealth statutory declarations facilitated by technology," he says. "This bill is an important milestone in driving the digitisation of government services."
Legislation introduced this week by the federal attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, will also allow people to digitally execute a statutory declaration using the online platform myGov and the myGovID Digital ID. Dreyfus says the bill is intended to keep with the changing ways of Australians. "This bill will respond to how Australians want and expect to engage and communicate digitally with government by providing options to make commonwealth statutory declarations facilitated by technology," he says. "This bill is an important milestone in driving the digitisation of government services."
Thumbs Up is easier, eh? (Score:3)
In Canada you can just send a thumbs up emoji in response to a text message to consummate a deal.
I guess something more formal is ok, too.
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That's for agricultural contracts which are often done informally - where you might basically buy a futures contract of say, corn by presenting it a farmer by email and they would reply saying they accept.
You might think signing a contract is a formal event where parties get together and sign a document, but in agriculture it's far less formal.
In that case, the decision w
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PS: sorry for replying to myself, but this clarification (or rather the possible need for it) accrued to me seconds after the final submit on the comment above an slashdot still lacks an edit button i the final quarter of 2023
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In Canada you can just send a thumbs up emoji in response to a text message to consummate a deal.
I guess something more formal is ok, too.
This is for a statutory declaration, or stat dec, which in Australia has legal ramifications. Its a legal statement to attest that something is true and correct, everything from a name change to marital statuses to ownership and inheritance, it's not just for a simple business deal (in fact, rarely does it get used for business). There can significant legal penalties for falsifying or knowingly making an incorrect stat dec (up to 4 years in prison, this can be on top of other charges). Because of the seriou
How long? (Score:2)
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How long will be before someone claims that someone else forged their digital signature?
Digital signatures are harder to forge than paper and ink signatures.
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Can't someone just save a copy? Or several copies, and sort of average them together to get a unique variant?
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Can't someone just save a copy? Or several copies, and sort of average them together to get a unique variant?
Of course not. A digital signature is encrypted and requires two-factor authentication.
Unless you know my DocuSign password, control my email, and have physical custody of my SIM card, you're not gonna forge my e-signature.
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How does it work when you sign at a bank or a grocery store? You don't have control of anything.
Also, does the software "look at" your signature to make sure it's similar to your other signatures? Or could you just scribble anything?
Re: How long? (Score:2)
Why would anyone sign anything at a grocery store?
And why would a bank let you sign anything without a government issued ID which has a personal record (including photo) signed by a government controlled CA and walled off by your personal PIN?
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Why would anyone sign anything at a grocery store?
To pay by credit card or check. Though I suspect you already knew that and just disapprove.
Chip and PIN vs. chip and signature (Score:2)
I'm thinking Charlotte lives in a country that uses chip and PIN, not chip and signature, for credit card purchases. In the USA, I've seen chip and PIN consistently only with debit cards and with Target's RedCard credit card.
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How does it work when you sign at a bank or a grocery store?
Who signs anything at a grocery store? I haven't done that in decades.
My bank asks to see my ID. They don't depend on the signature.
Also, does the software "look at" your signature to make sure it's similar to your other signatures? Or could you just scribble anything?
Have you ever actually used an e-signature on a contract or purchase agreement? Do you have any idea how they work? Hint: There's no "scribbling".
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Clearly the term "digiital signature" is used far more broadly than you think.
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Irrelevant. People have been claiming forged signatures since the invention of ink. Your complaint is a strawman.
Not for long (Score:2)
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I guess they haven't heard of deepfakes.
And what if they haven't? Is the ability to forge a signature or claim a signature forged something introduced in 2023? I think you're about 2000 years off.
For people who don't understand Australia (Score:4, Interesting)
The issue here isn't the digital vs not-digital process. The issue here is that it has removed a painful and archaic witness process. Many documents including statdecs require a witness from a Justice of the Peace. Fortunately they easy to find, but it's still painful. Many large workplaces statistically are likely to have JPs somewhere on staff. Many supermarkets have days where JPs are present. But none the less this is a random person you need to seek out for the singular purpose of witnessing that you signed a document. It was a PITA. Oh and if you live overseas, well those documents can be witnessed at the embassy or consulate ... for $35 per page.
So digitising this process is a major boon to expats.
Fun off topic fact: the citizenship application form used to require to be witnessed not only by a JP, but also a citizen of high standing. Who has high standing? Politicians for one. Lawyers. Doctors. Surgeons. etc. I ended up getting the signature arranged by a friend at a hospital on the way out of the city. He wasn't technically a surgeon yet so he asked his supervising surgeon to come and sign, which he did, job done. That person of high standing was later arrested and deported on charges of suspected terrorism.
I wonder how many people Milton Orkopoulos - NSW Politician - backed as honourable members of the public worthy of becoming citizens while he prostituting and ****ing little children and dealing drugs.
It was the dumbest system in existence.
Re:For people who don't understand Australia (Score:5, Informative)
It looks like who you call a Justice of the Peace we'd call a "Notary Public". Basically you need a document witnessed, you bring it to a Notary Public. They'll witness the signing, apply their seal onto the document, serialize it, sign it, and then make a copy of the document for their records.
In Canada, a Justice of the Peace is generally a person used for other civil purpoees - you would hire one to go through a civil marriage for example, where they'd run through the vows and then sign the marriage certificate (as opposed to a religious marriage. Or if you forgo the ceremony, they'll just sign the certificate right there are the office.