E-mail eSignature Document Secure

Because everything in Hong Kong still runs on paper, and if you email them a letter, they will just print it out.One nice thing about paper is that you run into fewer data security issues, since everything is on paper so you know where your data is.One other thing is that in a lot of transactions, it's important to have everything in a fixed document.  For example, in a lot of legal work and work with the HK bureaucracy, I find that even when people communicate via e-mail, what people will do is to write the document as a attachment, and then use e-mail to send the document.  E-mail is for conversations and not for document submission.Once you are in this mode, then it turns out that if you want to do something, you have to export the document as a PDF, attach it to an e-mail. and the person at the other end, unattaches the email, and prints it out.  The other problem with e-mail documents, is that a lot of Hong Kong transactions require physical signatures, and it's easy to fax a form, sign the document, and then refax the resulting document.

In our modern age, not using such a valuable tool as an e-signature is something that might delay or hinder how you and your business operates. Signing documents on the go, from any place in the world and then faxing, e-mailing or sharing the signed document within seconds not only improves your workflow and speeds things up, it also makes you seem more professional when you give an option of signing documents electronically to your customers and clients, becoming an indispensable part of how you operate. If you’re looking for software that combines document management and an ability to sign documents online, Document 365 Business by Kdan is a good solution. With this software, signing documents is fast and easy, as well as adding stamps and watermarks to all your files. If your business works with PDFs on a daily basis, Document 365 is a great way to help you edit, sign, highlight and split/combine your documents, saving them to the cloud for easy access and sharing with colleagues. This software is also multi-user friendly, making project collaboration/management easy.Overall, using e-signatures in your business is practically a must these days, and with Document 365, taking care of signatures, working with PDFs, scanning paper documents, faxing and sharing while staying secure is a great way to increase your productivity no matter where you are or where you’re working from.Disclaimer: I am part of Kdan’s team and my answers might be a bit biased.

What is one Internet-related problem that hasn't been solved by technology?Ubiquitous encrypted messaging (e-mail).I keep expecting to wake up finding that someone has solved the general problem of sending encrypted personal e-mail. I know, you can use bolt-on solutions to get encrypted e-mail (like PGP, Virtru, Encrypted Zip, etc.) but it’s hardly simple or straightforward enough for Grandma to use it, let alone trust it.The “big problem” is identity. I want to have encryption where there is a guarantee of who I am. That it is really “me” sending this message and not someone else. To get that, I am willing to get keys, have them signed, have their provenance documented. But the cost of this is either high on the technical side or high on the cost side (both of which aren’t reasonable for Grandma).Ubiquitous encrypted messaging would mean that when Grandma got an e-mail from her bank, it had been encrypted or, at least, signed at the bank, and she could trust that it wasn’t sent from a scammer in Nigeria. At least as certain as she is when she securely connects to her banking web site using HTTPS.And, just like HTTPS the solution could reasonably require companies to get the provenance (just like they get the certs for their web sites) but Grandma should be able to get her cert cheap (organizations that have a stake in protecting their clients could offer cert services like churches, fraternal organizations, banks, etc.). These certs could be in the form of cheap USB sticks, devices like Ubikeys, or her phone, which Grandma takes home and registers with her OS or e-mail application, which thereafter signs everything that comes out, and encrypts when it knows the recipients certs. The signature would be essentially anonymous except to those she wants not to be anonymous (family, the aforementioned bank, etc.).I worked with a CPA at one point and was shocked to discover that all of the communication flowing between the CPA and their customers was unencrypted, including attachments (and many of these were banks, and not little ones!). When I suggested using encrypted e-mail I got a blank stare. “E-mail is secure, isn’t it? I double check the TO address on the e-mail.”Forget the flying car, where’s the encrypted messaging?

So I'm the founder and CEO of ApproveMe and the WP E-Signature WordPress plugin [ https://www.approveme.me/wp-digital-e-signature ] which focuses 100% on legally binding documents and UETA & ESIGN compliance in the WordPress space. Being an eSignature geek myself, I have the same concerns you do about the vulnerability (and enforceability) of eSignature based documents. I can only tell you how we handle this... All WP eSignature signed documents and signatures are kept hidden and encrypted on the server at all times, using a GUID encryption sequence. If a hacker ever attempts to unencrypt a document and change so much as a period to a comma the document will automatically throw a 404 Document not found message and alert all parties associated with the document that their document has been tampered with. If this were to happen you could prove in court that the document was tampered with and not the original document that you eSigned.

A survey conducted by Coldwell Banker and CNET found that eighty-one percent of prospective home buyers were drawn to homes equipped with the latest in-home technology. Among those, thirty-five percent of people who preferred what is known as smart homes over traditional residences believed that such features solidified the property as “move-in ready.”Technology is also changing the field of home selling. Here are five ways that apps and other online features are making the life of a real estate agent easier.1. Broadcasting with Periscope and TwitterWhat better way to send out a massive blast than on Twitter? The social media site lets you keep it short but sweet as you tell followers that the home of their dreams has an upcoming open house session. You can also post pictures on Twitter that give potential buyers a better perspective of what they will see during their in-person tour of the property. Take the virtual showing a step further by using Periscope to share live footage of yourself walking through the house online. In past times, a substantial amount of money was necessary to promote property by way of commercials. Twitter and Periscope bring the perk to you for free so long as you have a smartphone or tablet when going live and taking pictures.2. Tracking with Glympse and WazeRunning twenty minutes behind used to be a deal breaker pre-Digital era. Not only did you inconvenience the client but you also provided a guess that was often inaccurate and led to more time wasted at the property. Traffic apps in the twenty-first century have made such estimating unnecessary.Waze is one app that provides navigation tips based on real-time traffic information. You can better coordinate appointments so that clients are not left waiting for several minutes and provide clearer updates when you are running late. Glympse also tracks traffic in real-time but takes things a step further by offering a link by which clients can track your whereabouts. Text or email the URL to prospective buyers and let them follow along as you make your way to the location.3. Meet Online with Reflector 2 and Join.meReal estate agents should consider investing in Reflector 2 instead of bringing their USB stick along to nail that next listing presentation. The app serves as a sort of projector by allowing you to cast all activity on your smartphone and tablet on a larger screen. The Reflector 2 works with nearly any device and does not require additional purchase outside of the app itself.Free Screen Sharing, Online Meetings & Web Conferencing is another app that has made buying a selling a home more convenient. Agents can hold brief meetings with clients without requiring them to come into the office. Sharing your computer screen is the best way to convey pertinent information to new homeowners. The recording and playback feature is particularly useful when you need to recall a client’s home preferences. They will be impressed with your attention to detail in finding a house with a built-in barbecue pit. You will know that such meticulousness is because of Free Screen Sharing, Online Meetings & Web Conferencing.4. Add Transparency and Rapidity with an Automated Mortgage Loan ProcessThe traditional method of the home loan process involved hours spent trying to secure financing. Leaving one paycheck stub or bank statement at home often meant holding off on the process until the client was able to furnish proof of such documentation. There was no transparency in the process, which meant that customers were entirely reliant on the expertise of the real estate agent.Technological advances have revolutionized the mortgage loan process. Automated processing now establishes criteria by which applicants are judged that makes applying simpler. Some financial institutions can pre-approve hopefuls in ten minutes. Individuals who go through the entire process may see their loans finalized in ten days instead of the average four-week period. Digital tools provide real-time updates so that even those who are not approved can move on to the next bank quickly instead of waiting for a rejection letter to arrive by way of snail mail.5. Agree from Home with E-signaturesIn past times, the thrill of closing quickly became inconvenient for buyers upon hearing that all approved owners would need to stop by the real estate agent’s office to sign final documents. Some individuals were forced to take a sick day from work just to make their mark on the paper. Such heartache is why the masses are thrilled to learn that e-signatures have the same weight as traditional marks on legal documents. A real estate agent can email paperwork that his clients can sign at their leisure and return electronically. It is even possible to solidify documents on a smartphone in some instances, which makes the home loan process that much more convenient.

As an agent, we have access to the MLS, which the public only has limited access to. In my area the public can see exactly what Zillow can which is active listings. Our board does not disclose the sales price of closed prices, which makes services like Zillow pretty much worthless in my area. (Zillow may be useful in some areas, perhaps many, just not where I work).That said, my favorite and most useful tool, which is also available to the public, is the GIS (Government Information Service). Type in to Google: (Your county)(Your state) GIS [ie: Marion County Indiana GIS ] . While it isn’t available in every county of the country, you will find it in most major areas. It will give you access to the tax assessor records and often times the sales history of the property. The tax records will give you the details of site size, improvements, assessed values and depending on the county may or may not give you the annual taxes.Since real estate agents in some areas count the basement area when they list the size of the property, the GIS will allow me to figure out what is really there if I’m new to the area. For what I am looking for, there is a signNow difference between a stated 3,600 square foot house by the agent and 1,800 square foot above ground over a 1,800 square foot basement. - Lenders only count the above ground square footage as living area when making a loan.Hope this helps.

My son amazed me today…and not for the better.I received a phone call from the school today asking me to pick up my son.When I arrived, I had a very unpleasant discussion with the dean about how my son organized a “fascist uprising” at his school.Apparently, my son has a physics teacher who allows her students to eat lunch in her classroom while they complete any missing work they have to hand in.My son—being the busy and disorganized boy that he is—was in that classroom during lunch very often.One day, he and a couple of other hooligans were working on a class project together at lunch when they decided to take a break. What did they do during this break time? Well, what any normal teenagers would do…write a political manifesto.So they take one of those mini white boards lying around the classroom and begin writing their manifesto. Now for privacy reasons, let’s assume that my son and I live in an imaginary town called Terrytown (our town also has the word “town” at the end—just a different prefix).Now the way the school system works in our district is that the Terry School District begins with many different elementary schools, then these elementary school students blend into a few larger middle schools, and these larger middle schools blend into one giant high school.Terrytown High SchoolThe majority of the students at the school live in Terrytown, but there is one other location where students come from called Terry Plains.So my son and his idiot friends begin writing this manifesto which (according to my son) was meant to mock Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.You see, for those of you that don’t know, the word “Nazi” is an abbreviation for the NSDAP, which standed for “Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei” or the “National Socialist German Workers Party”.So to mock them, my son and his idiot friends begin writing their manifesto on the mini-whiteboard, titling it “The Townist Socialist Party of Terrytown”.Now you would think that a far-right activist would begin writing racist things about illegal immigrants, or Jews, or African-Americans or something like that…no…no…no.My son and his idiot friends write this manifesto as an emulation of Mein Kampf, except instead of having the antagonist be the Jews, they make the antagonists the kids from Terry Plains. They wrote about how Terrytown High School students lack the honor in their distinction, and that only kids who were born within Terrytown should be allowed to attend the high school…meaning the Terry Plains kids have to go.The manifesto began to go in-depth about more garbage regarding how they were going to get rid of the Terry Plains kids. First, they were gonna make all of them wear a patch on their shirt which said “Terry Plains”. Second, they were gonna confiscate their lockers and school issued computers. And lastly, they were gonna round them all up on the school buses and “deport” them to the former middle schools which they attended in Terry Plains.I was always a bit of an edgelord myself, so I suppose I could understand the joke. But my son and his idiot friends were dumb enough to write this manifesto and to not erase it!The physics teacher (who according to my son was an “SJW”) ended up finding the manifesto. Horrified, she immediately turned it over to the Dean of Students at Terrytown High School.The problem with my son is that similarly to me, he can let a joke carry him away. So he and his idiot friends actually began recruiting people to his non-existent political party. His school uses an online based server called Google Drive which allows students to share documents amongst themselves, and my son made a document which had the list of over 100 people who decided to join his political party as a joke.Now I can only imagine how awkward of a conversation it was for my son when he had to explain to his Dean of Students that he wasn’t actually a fascist, and that he didn’t actually intend to deport the Terry Plains kids because they were municipally inferior—or something like that?Am I proud of it? No.Am I amazed by it? Believe it.

That depends on what software and what type of digital signature you use.I’ll try to give you a general overview about the two most popular digital signature types:Touch: In a touch based solution you’d normally sign with your finger, your mouse or an electronic pen. This type of digital signature can like any analog signature easily be misused. However, as most services allow you to track the IP address of the signer and, as Tiffanie mentions, the document is sent to your personal e-mail address it requires that somebody actually have access to your inbox to sign that document without your permission.Electronic ID (e-ID): Some providers allow you to sign with what is known as an Electronic ID such as Swedish BankID, Norwegian BankID, Finnish Tupas and Danish NemId. An e-ID is an unique key-file or key-card that is issued by the government based on that person’s social security number. This ensure 100% identification of the signer and is almost impossible to copy, as the signer needs to log-in with his or her social security number, a personalized code and a unique code from the key card that changes everytime you log-in. So basically that means that in order to copy this signature, a hacker would need to hack one’s e-mail address to first get the document, then hack your physical key card as well as hacking your social security number and personalized code. This makes it almost impossible to copy or misuse. The only disadvantage about this solution is that not all countries and citizens have an e-ID. However, if you’re living in Scandinavia or any other country that have a governmental e-ID, this is undoubtedly the most secure solution.Hope it helped on your concerns.I’m working at the Danish signature platform signNow, where we specialize in signing with e-ID, but also provide the opportunity to sign with touch. So if you have any questions about digital signature at all, feel free to let me know.Best regards//Chris