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eSignature Beta for Google Docs and Google Drive

workspaceupdates.googleblog.com

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Re: eSignature Beta for Google Docs and Google Drive

#71

Post by pkaye »

danielrhodes wrote: post #66
noodlesUK wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Europe, including the UK and EEA, there is the eIDAS regulation, which outlines the requirement for eSignatures (amongst other things). In order for a signature to be recognised, it has to meet one of three trust levels 1. Electronic signature: this is basically something that puts a distinguishing mark on a file. 2. Advanced electronic signature: these use cryptography according to the specifications set out in t…

Ultimately where this matters is if one party contests the validity of a contract. I'm not sure how it works in the EU, but in the US that would mean a court would ultimately make that decision. To that end, they could decide that two people agreeing in an email thread is enough. It's all about your risk appetite. However, notice that Google has not said they are compliant with any regulation.

Apparently in Canada a thumbs up emoji is valid as a signature for a contract.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/06/canada-judge-t...

Re: eSignature Beta for Google Docs and Google Drive

#73

Post by jbverschoor »

hedora wrote: post #37
crooked-v wrote: post #8

The important question is, when is Google going to kill this functionality? DocuSign only has to hold out until then.

I wonder what happens to documents that were signed with this thing after they kill the product. Also, I wonder if the person signing the document has to agree to Google's entire ToS in order to sign the document. Congress could fix both issues with some well-thought-out legislation: - Signatures from these things have to support external validation via standard tools (e.g., Google uses PGP or whatever to sign the si…

It's funny, this is exactly what I was wondering.

Re: eSignature Beta for Google Docs and Google Drive

#74

Post by mistrial9 »

noodlesUK wrote: post #62
danielrhodes wrote: post #23

First this is a great idea. Finally there is some movement on making Google Docs better. I haven't used the feature, but from reading the blog post it is sad to see how poorly Google executes on products, even at the beta stage. Some context: I've built such a product before and eSigs are more simple than they seem as long as you do a few things. 1) You need to verify somebody's identity. Sending them an email with t…

In Europe, including the UK and EEA, there is the eIDAS regulation, which outlines the requirement for eSignatures (amongst other things). In order for a signature to be recognised, it has to meet one of three trust levels 1. Electronic signature: this is basically something that puts a distinguishing mark on a file. 2. Advanced electronic signature: these use cryptography according to the specifications set out in t…

what is the legal name for "monopoly company requires ID and location to view common document" ?

Re: eSignature Beta for Google Docs and Google Drive

#76

Post by rrdharan »

dexterdog wrote: post #68
I_am_tiberius wrote: post #18

No pricing === you are the product

With google you are the product whether you pay or not. Some of their most valuable data comes from the companies who use google for all of their email, calendar and documents.

https://workspace.google.com/learn-more/security/security-wh...

I'd argue it's the least valuable data. They can't look at it, they have regulatory, legal and contractual commitments to protect it, they have paying customers that will be very angry if it's lost or unavailable, and yet they can't mine it or train models with it or monetize it.

Re: eSignature Beta for Google Docs and Google Drive

#77

Post by drewda »

gauravphoenix wrote: post #29

This isn't a DocuSign killer yet and won't be for a while until Google get its enterprise story right. DocuSign is deeply integrated with third party workflows in large organizations. That's where the big bucks are and you can build a sticky business.

Yeah, I've been surprised to learn how DocuSign is used by some large corporations and government agencies. It's the system that manages all sorts of forms and workflows within the orgs, not just contracts going outside the org.

Re: eSignature Beta for Google Docs and Google Drive

#79

Post by viscountchocula »

pkaye wrote: post #71
danielrhodes wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ultimately where this matters is if one party contests the validity of a contract. I'm not sure how it works in the EU, but in the US that would mean a court would ultimately make that decision. To that end, they could decide that two people agreeing in an email thread is enough. It's all about your risk appetite. However, notice that Google has not said they are compliant with any regulation.

Apparently in Canada a thumbs up emoji is valid as a signature for a contract. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/06/canada-judge-t...

Not is: can be

Re: eSignature Beta for Google Docs and Google Drive

#80

Post by b112 »

pkaye wrote: post #71
danielrhodes wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ultimately where this matters is if one party contests the validity of a contract. I'm not sure how it works in the EU, but in the US that would mean a court would ultimately make that decision. To that end, they could decide that two people agreeing in an email thread is enough. It's all about your risk appetite. However, notice that Google has not said they are compliant with any regulation.

Apparently in Canada a thumbs up emoji is valid as a signature for a contract. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/06/canada-judge-t...

Not a signature, just that he accepted the deal. And note that he had accepted deals the same way before.

Accepting the terms, just as a handshake, on a deal, can bind one.

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