Companies often use digital signatures for various purposes, including:
Document Authentication: Digital signatures are used to authenticate digital documents, such as contracts, agreements, or certificates, ensuring that they have not been altered and that they come from a trusted source.
Data Integrity: Digital signatures provide assurance that the content of a document or message has not been modified since it was signed. Any alteration to the signed content would invalidate the signature.
Non-Repudiation: Digital signatures provide evidence that the signer cannot deny their involvement in creating or sending the signed message or document. This is important for legal and compliance purposes.
Secure Transactions: Digital signatures are used in electronic transactions, such as online banking or e-commerce, to ensure the authenticity of transactions and to protect against fraud.
Regulatory Compliance: In many industries, digital signatures are used to meet regulatory requirements for secure communication and document management, such as in healthcare (HIPAA) or finance (PCI-DSS).