How Does It Work

The digital signature process used by Civil Twilight is powered by DocuSign. DocuSign's patented process diverges from the cumbersome and potentially risky PKI approach utilized by other digital signature providers. Signers using DocuSign password-protect their access to the signing system, select a script font with which to sign, and are assigned a unique alphanumeric identification number that appears with their signature every time they sign.

Different levels of authentication are available, from simply using the recipient's e-mail address, to a verbally-delivered access code, to a Fair Issac authentication. In the Fair Issac authentication, a questionnaire is generated based upon the last four digits of the signer's SSN, containing detailed historical questions about the signer that must be answered correctly in order to access the signing module.

An audit trail is maintained throughout the signing process for each document that can be used subsequently to provide additional proof that the purported signer actually executed the document. This audit trail differs greatly from the paper world, where it is much easier for someone to assert that "it's not my signature". In the world of digital signatures, if an audit trail ties the signature to the signer's computer, the burden of proof has now effectively been shifted back to the signer to prove that someone else had access to their computer and signing password. Moreover, a true forgery in the digital world will lack the appropriate audit trail and can be immediately identified as such.