RE: filmscanners: Re: paperless office

["Laurie Solomon" <laurie@advancenet.net>]

>Eventually, through the use of bio-metrics, your electronic "signature"
>will be as "good" and as unique as your fingerprint.

What you say may be true enough; but even that only guarentees the
authenticity of the signature and not the content of the document that the
signiture has been affixed to.  Hence the problem of counterfeiting still is
not solved when it comes to the authenticity of documents.  Nevertheless, I
do not think that the legalities are the major impediment to a totally
electronic paperless society; it is convenience and trust.  Just because
something is legal does not mean that people should or will trust it or
those that engage in using it.  You may be able to make legal banking and
borkerage house transactions; but will you take the word of those
institutions concerning those transactions at face value or will you insist
on a confirmation (and will you be satisfied and feel secure with an
electronic confirmation that has not been memorialized in hardcopy)?  If,
for example, you have engaged in such a transaction; and as I have, you
receive an electronic confirmation saying one thing.  However, when the
requested hard copy arrives, you find that they disagree; you have a basis
for any claims of error which you would not have had if you depended only on
that original electronic confirmation.

I treat electronic documents like answering machines; I trust them but
verify. I may leave a message on the answering machine; but I do not trust
or take for granted that the person has actually gotten the message until I
have spoken with them voice to voice.





-----Original Message-----
From: owner-filmscanners@halftone.co.uk
[mailto:owner-filmscanners@halftone.co.uk]On Behalf Of Arthur Entlich
Sent: Wednesday, January 31, 2001 5:26 PM
To: filmscanners@halftone.co.uk
Subject: Re: filmscanners: Re: paperless office


Recent legislative changes both in the US and Canada, have recognized
the legality of electronic documentation under certain conditions.
Eventually, through the use of bio-metrics, your electronic "signature"
will be as "good" and as unique as your fingerprint.

My on-line brokerage allows me to make legal trades, and monetary
transfers with a password, my bank allows me to move money the same way.

Art

Gordon Tassi wrote:

> Although we are getting closer to a paperless society, I think that the
biggest
> impediment is based on our legal system.