Mobile Signature Solutions for Guaranteeing Non-Repudiation in Mobile Business and Mobile Commerce

Abstract

Non-repudiation is an important issue in mobile business and mobile commerce in order to provide the necessary evidences to prove whether some party participated in a transaction. The basis to support non-repudiation is the electronic signature. In Europe, directive 1999/93/EC of the European Parliament and the Council establishes the conditions that should be fulfilled in order to provide an electronic signature legally equivalent to the handwritten signature. This chapter presents and analyses the different solutions that have appeared over the years to provide mobile signatures. This analysis will help us to determine which mobile signatures solutions can be considered legally equivalent to the handwritten signature. Thus, this chapter allows people to get to know the different solutions that are available to build mobile commerce and mobile business applications that require the use of the non-repudiation service, and hence electronic signature in mobile devices.