Electronic and digital signatures are terms that are often used interchangeably, but they are fundamentally different. An electronic signature is used specifically to confirm the terms or content of a particular document and is equivalent to a handwritten signature, whereas a digital signature consists of unique features such as a fingerprint and ensures integrity and authenticity because it has been authorised by a trusted certification authority.
This difference and the use of both types of signatures is presented in the theoretical part of the thesis, where the usefulness, utility, and practicability of both electronic and digital signatures are made clear. The aim of the thesis is to distinguish between the two, and in the experimental part, to present the opinion of the students and employees of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering as to whether they use electronic and digital signatures at all, on which portal they use them most frequently and whether they believe that they will slowly replace handwritten signatures completely.
In Slovenia, the most common form of digital signature is SI-PASS, which enables verification of the user’s identity and signing of applications and other documents. The usability was assessed through an online survey in which respondents answered questions about whether they were aware of the digital signature portal SIGENCA-PASS, how often they used it and why.
For advanced electronic signatures, we use the PadES PDF format developed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). ETSI is a non-profit organisation for standardisation in the field of information and communication. It allows digital signatures to be added directly to a PDF document, the fields in which the signatures are stored, and the verification of the validity of the signatures. All this is presented in the experimental part of the thesis.
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