[Berlin, GERMANY] Many German Internet users are impatiently waiting for the
arrival of the digital signature. This was the result of a recent survey by
the opinion poll institute Forsa, commissioned by the German magazine
‘Online Today’.
52 percent of those interviewed greet the introduction of the electronic
signature. However, big misgivings still prevail with users: only 40 percent
of those questioned would actually use the technology themselves. 503
persons were questioned in total.
Among the users who are online on a daily basis, 36 percent expect a secure
and confidential communication structure through the introduction of the
digital signature. With the group of users who use the Internet less often,
this figure is only 25 percent. The Forsa survey also revealed that 40
percent of users would use the digital signature for business transactions
despite security misgivings.
The digital signature law makes the validity of the
electronic signature equal to that of the handwritten signature. Eventually,
over 90 percent of all legal transactions can be completed via e-mail using a
qualified electronic signature.