Because we’ve always done it that way.
OZG theme week – Part 3
Many applications are digitised by now. But then have to be printed out again and sent by post after all. Why, exactly? The requirement for a signed document is to blame!
Some administrative procedures still legally require “written form” under Section 126 of the German Civil Code — meaning a handwritten signature. Actually a good idea in principle. But does that really ensure that the person named on the application is actually the one who signed it? Unlikely.
Signatures often get inserted digitally these days — and not always by the person they belong to. Trump is trying to have Biden’s executive orders declared invalid, claiming he used an autopen. And has anyone ever actually seen someone at an authority compare a signature with — well, with what exactly? Their ID card? These days, the only certainty is that the origin of a handwritten signature is uncertain too.
And yet the idea of making sure only authorised people can submit a given application isn’t unreasonable at all for certain administrative services. Today, a secure, widely available digital identification could replace the handwritten signature — for example via the ID card. Usage numbers, though, are still limited.
It gets even trickier when it’s not a private individual, but someone acting in a professional capacity — signing not for themselves personally, but on behalf of, and paid by, the company they work for. A look at Denmark shows that solutions exist for that. But it also requires being willing to use your own ID card for it. Alongside a private ID, a professional ID, as in Denmark, could also be the solution. But that too requires people to actually be willing — and in our experience, Germany tends to be more cautious than bold here.
Would you be willing to sign in a professional context using your private ID card or a professional ID, or would you rather stick with a handwritten signature?
Image: Leon Seibert for Unsplash
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