What is a Digital Signature?

A digital signature is an electronic method for signing and authenticating documents retrieved via the Internet with the ability to, at some later date, test the veracity of such documents to ensure they have not been tampered with or altered in anyway and are in conformance with UETA or the Union Electronic Transactions Act.

A digital signature verifies two things: the source of a document, and its integrity. When court reporters electronically sign a transcript, the entire document is mathematically manipulated to produce a fingerprint, which is then encrypted along with a unique id. When the recipient checks the signature, it will fail to verify if even a single character has been changed. This assures that your document has not been tampered with.

In the days of proprietary e-mail systems, "return receipts" were a standard feature. The interoperability and flexibility of the Internet has brought many benefits, but reliable and consistent return receipts were lost. The court reporter has no way of guaranteeing what kind of computer the recipient of an e-mail will be using, much less which of dozens of e-mail programs.

E-mail, however, is by no means the only way to deliver documents. In the case of transcripts and other court documents, it is most likely not even the most common method.

The client/server structure of the Internet allows Benedia Court Reporting Service to place a document on our server with restricted access. The attorneys, must pass virtual security checkpoints to gain access, then hold the document for pickup. This verifies the identity of the recipients, allows each to pick up the document at his or her leisure, and prevents "clogged e-mail syndrome," where megabytes of documents must be processed before the e-mail program can pick up other critical e-mail.

Our server program keeps a log of who has accessed the documents, and these logs can be used in lieu of return receipts to assure that the documents have, indeed, been picked up.

Is the transcript admissible in court?

Yes, if your transcript comes with a digital certificate. Just print the digital certificate provided with each transcript downloaded. UETA rules state a record or signature will not be denied legal effect and enforceability solely because an electronic record was used in its formation (http://www.ncsl.org/programs/lis/cip/ueta.htm). Any law that requires writing will be satisfied by an electronic record. Any signature requirement in the law will be met if there is an electronic signature."