Electronic Signatures Yield Unpleasant Surprises Misc.6/29/2000; 8:45:05 AM "Knowledgeable Internet users might think that the "Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act" -- passed overwhelmingly by the US Congress last week -- would provide virtual world commerce with the same protections expected in the physical world."Surprise! No, that would be "digital signatures", never mentioned in the Act. Digital signatures are designed to detect changes in digital content, and computationally irreversible functions ensure that the signature belongs to a particular entity."An excellent discussion of why electronic signatures, as implemented by Congress, should be avoided at all costs.