Timestamp

Have you ever heard about timestamps? Business digitization has created problems for companies in terms of integrity and verification of processes. It is always important to evidence the time of an act of a will, transaction, invoice or an electronic signature. Qualified time stamping through cryptography allows to electronically record the date and time of the signature to prove the exact time of an event.

This article explains this concept, the relation it has with eSignatures and how to use it with Viafirma’s solutions.

What is a timestamp?

Prior to the current digital revolution a date stamp was also used as it has always been a requirement to verify that something has happened.

In any business environment it is vital to be clear when a particular document was created or when a specific transaction took place. Timestamping is one of the most important forms of electronic evidence available. Whenever someone wants to electronically evidence a signature or any long-term signature format, adding timestamping becomes essential to be able to tell the exact date and time.

How to get one?

Timestamping is one of the qualified electronic trust services covered by eIDAS (EU910/2014) and offered by a Qualified Service Provider or Time Stamping Authority (TSA).

Electronic signature solutions today already have integrations with external time stamping services. This means that it is something within the reach of all companies committed to digital transformation.

Viafirma became the first Qualified Trust Service Provider for issuing Timestamps in Andalusia as well as one of the 20 Spanish entities that are authorized to offer this service throughout Europe.

Advantages of timestamp

Below are some of the advantages of using timestamps:

• Quick and easy to set up with no technical skills required.
• Compatible with most systems and applications.
• Complies with RFC 3161 with a powerful 256-bit hash algorithm.
• Verifies when the document/data in question was signed and ensures it has not been subsequently altered as it is cryptographically an electronic signature that guarantees the integrity of the sealed document or data.
• Once the seal is added to the signed document, the signature will be secure, non-repudiable and admissible in any court of law.

Relationship between timestamps and eSignatures

The timestamp improves the integrity and security of the entire process to ensure that both the signature and the data cannot be altered in the future.

Indeed, there are some documents that should include a mandatory timestamp after they are electronically signed, such as insurance policies, informed consents or when using long-term signature formats.

Therefore, timestamps have become essential to electronic signatures providing relevant information on when the document was signed and ensuring the integrity of the content or the event that has been signed.

Viafirma, eSignature solutions that include timestamps

If we wish to send documentation to be reviewed by our customers, our tools offer endless options to easily sign documents in a simple and intuitive way. In addition, some type of electronic legal evidence (e.g., images, voice, OTP) is also necessary to strengthen the legal validity of the process.

If we wish to send documentation to be reviewed by our customers, our tools offer endless options to easily sign documents in a simple and intuitive way. In addition, some type of electronic legal evidence (e.g., images, voice, OTP) is also necessary to strengthen the legal validity of the process.

Any of these processes performed with our solutions includes timestamps by default for free; this guarantees the integrity of the content, which cannot be modified once it is signed electronically.