Digital Signatures are the electronic equivalents of conventional wet signatures or stamp seals. However, digital signatures are a far more secure and authentic measure of authorizing documents. Diving further into the topic of e-signing, in this blog, we will answer what is a digital signature certificate and what are the three classes of DSC,

What is Digital Signature Certificate (DSC)?

A Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) is an encrypted key issued by a Certifying Authority (CA) that contains information about the user, such as name, country, email address, issuance date, and so on. Digital Signature Certificate makes use of a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for creating and managing the signatures.
DSC simplifies the process of identifying the issuer by obtaining information and ensuring security in the signing process.

What are the advantages of DSC?

Now that we know what a DSC is, let us look at the advantages of Digital Signature Certificates,

Authenticating the User

A Digital Signature Certificate helps in authenticating the personal information of the individual using the signatures. This in turn ensures the security of signatures when conducting business online. Moreover, a digital signature certificate adds to the confidence of the recipient regarding the validity of the contract or documentation.

Reducing time and cost

Another advantage of DSC is that it reduces the cost and time of signing documents, as compared to wet signatures. Digital Signature Certificate makes it easy for you to share documents easily without the need to maintain a hard copy of the documents and scan them to share the document with the recipient virtually, saving the print costs and time.

Maintaining Data Integrity

Documents signed by Digital Signature Certificate are free from alterations and tampering. DSC is used by government agencies for cross-checks and verifications of business transactions. Hence, one of the greatest advantages of Digital Signature Certificates is that they maintain the data integrity, confidentiality, and security.

What are the different classes of a Digital Signature Certificate?

There are mainly three classes of Digital Signature Certificate (DSC), discussed below,

Class 1 Certificate:

Class 1 Digital Signature Certificates are issued to individuals/ private subscribers. It contains information about the user’s name and email address within the Certifying Authority’s Database.

Class 2 Certificate:

DSC Class 2 issued to organizations and individuals with signing authority, and include CEOs and Directors. Class 2 Digital Signing Certificates can be used in Income Tax Returns (ITR), GST Returns (GSTR), and other government e-documents.

Class 3 Certificate:

Class 3 Digital Signature Certificates are issued to individuals and organizations. There are high assurance certificates used primarily for e-auctions and online tenders.

Also Read,

Harsh Effects of Personal Digital Signatures on Business
E-Signature Laws in India
Benefits of Automated e-Signing