Using Echosign or Adobe Reader to get signatures

Question

Hello. I would like some feedback on which way to get a document signed in multiple places by multiple parties. I have a secure document that is approximetly 16 pages long that requires signatures by three or more parties. I created an account with EchoSign, because I've read that it's a secure way to transport the document back and forth between the parties who need to sign. I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience using either one of these methods and if you have any advice on which method I should go with. I should add that I've created the document in Adobe Acrobat Pro and I plan to add the electronic document to our web site for the purposes of employee onboarding.
Thank you in advance.
Amanda

Answer 1

The first question is not where the form should be hosted, but what you mean by "digitally signed".
A self-signed ID created in Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader is meaningless in terms of proving identity, as anyone can make up any ID - it doesn't even have to have a valid email address. There's no traceability so the signature is not legally admissible, so it's no better than getting them to tick a box or click an 'OK' button.
Verifiable and legally-approved digital IDs are available from commercial vendors, but they cost a fair amount of money and require the application to submit identity documents. Very few people will have one, and nobody will buy one for the fun of it.
EchoSign has no real way to tell who is signing the form, other than the fact the link went to a known email address - the digital certificate on the returned file is actually Adobe's own ID, and it simply proves that someone followed a particular link and drew in their signature on a stated date and time. Because the identity of that person is only traced through their email address, EchoSign will never give you a generic URL to link to the form - in fact you never get to see the encrypted URL sent to your recipients either. You have to enter the email address of each recipient by hand on the EchoSign website, the form can't be hosted on your own server.