Is there a standard implementation for Electronic Signatures on fill-in-form web applications?

Question

I have a client who is interested in adding in electronic signature support to a long (40 question) seller application form. I'm a little stumped on whether there is an existing standard or process that's out there that folks in the financial world would expect to see?

I could certainly add in a system where we generate a bunch of text based on their responses, have the applicant sign it with their private key and upload a public key- but that seems like a lot to ask of people. Do non-nerds even have PGP installed these days?

Is there a standard approach to this out there? Anyone work in the financial world that's done this and had it work well?

Thanks!

Answer 1

What purpose is the signature trying to fill? Are you trying to verify that the form actually came from a specific seller? (If so, you would have to know their public key ahead of time.) Are you trying to hold the seller accountable for their answers at a later date? (In that case, you might need some kind of third-party involved.)

Sometimes people ask for electronic signatures just because they sound neat.

Answer 2

We use Alphatrust's Pronto Server Software.