{"id":2440,"date":"2017-09-05T11:40:21","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T11:40:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/signdesk.com\/?p=2440"},"modified":"2025-10-28T06:18:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T11:48:40","slug":"aadhaar-based-esign-safe-reliable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/melento.ai\/en-in\/blog\/aadhaar-based-esign-safe-reliable","title":{"rendered":"Aadhaar Based eSign: Is It Safe And Reliable?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Aadhaar eSign<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Aadhaar eSign<\/strong> was designed to remove the problems associated with digital signatures in India.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through Aadhaar verification, eSign has become easier now than it was ever before to implement and use a digital signature<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Layers Of eSign<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

\"eSign<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s look at the four layers of eSign that make it safe, convenient and reliable. <\/span><\/p>\n

1. Consent<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

eSign<\/a> is based on consent. An individual gives his or her consent by electronically signing a document.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since it is an electronic document, it can be shared with multiple parties and upon consent of all the parties, an electronic document is executed.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, you can share an agreement with your co-founders or partners for all of you to sign, or you can share an official electronically signed statement with your bank to update your eKYC<\/a><\/strong> details.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further, the eSigned document<\/a><\/strong> can be stored online and can be downloaded if needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Aadhaar<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

eSign works on a two-way authentication system that involves an individual\u2019s 12 digit Aadhaar number (and password) and OTP (One Time Password) on the individual\u2019s Aadhaar-enabled mobile device.<\/span><\/p>\n

This helps secure an individual\u2019s identity electronically and remotely using eSign<\/a>. Aadhaar is becoming a mandatory document that every individual must have to access basic services and Public infrastructure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aadhaar is used to authenticate the identity of an individual in the issuance of PAN, passport, DL, telecom sim, etc., and is a secure and trusted system. <\/span><\/p>\n

3. Go Paperless<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The Government has set up infrastructure to enable a paperless economy with the help of digital locker (to hold, share and store all electronic documents) and electronic signatures<\/a><\/strong> (to sign and authenticate an electronic document).<\/span><\/p>\n

Gone are the days of manual paper record-keeping and bookkeeping. The problems associated with having to use paper is storing these documents, retrieval, remote access, cross information within departments, and much more. <\/span><\/p>\n

The process with paper takes days, even weeks and is also harmful to the environment, considering we have a digital alternate at our disposal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, it is safer to have records stored digitally to prevent and eliminate document forgery, red-tapism, paper pushing, document shuffling, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Physical Presence Redundant<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Every individual who has enrolled for Aadhaar, would have provided his\/her biometric and demographic information to avail an Aadhaar card.<\/span><\/p>\n

The information provided by the Aadhaar holder is stored and secured in a centralized Aadhaar database maintained by the UIDAI.<\/span><\/p>\n

When an individual needs to use a service or verify his or her identity, they can do so without having to be physically present for verification.<\/span><\/p>\n

Biometric devices can be used to capture the iris or fingerprint of the individual, or Aadhaar based OTP can be used for authentication.<\/span><\/p>\n

No presence is required. This means you can walk into a store and use your eSign<\/a> to make a purchase or authentication without providing any physical identity verification.<\/span><\/p>\n

Validity Of eSign<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n

eSign is a valid signature in India, just as valid as a regular signature on paper.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2015, under the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000<\/strong>, (Schedule 3) made the use of electronic signatures<\/a> valid in India.<\/span><\/p>\n

eSign can be used to attest several documents, execute certain business and commercial agreements, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

eSign is safe and reliable, yet the Government mandates that electronic signatures cannot be applied to the following sections:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. A Negotiable instrument as defined in section 13 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. A power-of-attorney as defined in section 1A of the Powers-of-Attorney Act, 1882.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. A trust as defined in section 3 of the Indian Trusts Act, 1882.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. A will as defined in clause (h) of section 2 of the Indian Succession Act, 1925, including any other testamentary disposition by whatever name called.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Any contract for the sale or conveyance of immovable property or any interest in such property.<\/span><\/li>\n
  6. Any such class of documents or transactions as may be notified by the Central Government in the Official Gazette.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How Is eSign Made Safe And Reliable?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

    For an individual to use eSign services, it is necessary that authentication is done using Aadhaar eKYC services<\/a><\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Upon successful authentication of an individual using biometric or OTP verification, eSign enables key pair generation, certification of public key and digital signature<\/a> on the electronic document, all within a single online service. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The private key pair is used once and then, after a one-time use, the private key is deleted.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The Digital Signature Certificate generated is valid for 30 minutes and expires later to maintain security.<\/span><\/p>\n

    A document that is signed using eSign will be affixed with a valid electronic signature (eSign) that can be easily verified using standard methods. <\/span><\/p>\n

    The user should have 12-digit Aadhaar Number and a mobile number registered with it for OTP-based authentication.<\/span><\/p>\n

    To enable eSign integration with PIN, a Gateway will manage the PIN function and an ASP can directly integrate with eSign.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The optional PIN facility will not be available in such integration (only biometric and OTP will be available).<\/span><\/p>\n

    Aadhaar eSign Security: Is Your Data Protected?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

    Every time a user has to apply his or her digital signature, a new key-pair and certification of the new Public Key by a Certifying Authority are required.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This back-end process is completely transparent to the signer. In addition, Aadhaar eKYC<\/a><\/strong> data is not stored with the Application Service Provider but is retained only by the eSign provider as the eKYC<\/a> audit record.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Online Application Service providers and eSign Signature<\/a> Service providers do not store the user’s personal data such as Aadhaar number or OTP.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Our eSign logs include only the information received from ESP API call. <\/span><\/p>\n

    In the case of Aadhaar eKYC<\/a> OTP option, additional authentication can be used to authenticate the identity of an individual.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The following options of additional authentication are available to a user: <\/span><\/p>\n

    1.\u00a0ASP level logon or Password authentication<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

    The Aadhaar eKYC<\/a><\/strong> OTP option works perfectly in conditions where the risks and consequences of data compromise are low.<\/span><\/p>\n

    An application-level authentication is recommended for eSign Online<\/a><\/strong> Electronic Signature Service.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This mitigates the risk of cases where an entire family is registered on a single mobile number, and this number has been replaced by a new number.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The new number may not have been updated in the Aadhaar database.<\/span><\/p>\n

    2.\u00a0<\/strong>PIN<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n

    As an alternate option, Aadhaar eKYC OTP-based authentication can be used for eSign Online Electronic Signature Service.<\/span><\/p>\n

    A Gateway level PIN authentication which is linked to an individual\u2019s Aadhaar number is used as the One-Time Password.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Use Aadhaar eSign<\/a> <\/span>Now<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

    Aadhaar eSign is safe<\/a><\/strong> and secure to use. It is proposed for businesses, public services, processes, service applications, etc. to make them quick, reliable and efficient.<\/span><\/p>\n

    With all the safety features and fail-safes built into Aadhaar eSign, it is no surprise that more companies and individuals are starting to use eSign for signing electronic documents.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Thus, the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, (Schedule 3) validates and legalises the use of electronic signatures in India, thus making it more clear about its characteristics and accessibility. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Want To Avail Aadhaar eSign? <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

    melento.ai<\/strong><\/a> \u00a0is an authorized Application Service Provider (ASP), which in collaboration with the UIDAI<\/a>, facilitates Aadhaar\u00a0eSign services<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Every Aadhaar-holder can make use of the portal to eSign his\/her documents. We offer different Aadhaar eSign<\/strong> packages based on your requirement as well as\u00a0Aadhaar\u00a0eSign API<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Get in touch with us to get a quote for eSign<\/a> aadhaar services today.<\/span><\/p>\n