Identity verification for e-signature

A signature is only as strong as the identity behind it. An e-signature platform can capture a legally binding click or a drawn signature perfectly and still have no idea whether the person who clicked is actually the named signer. Identity verification closes that gap by confirming who's signing, before the signature happens.

Why verify before signing, not after

Verifying identity before a document is signed — rather than relying on an email link or a password alone — means the signature is tied to a person who has proven, on camera, that they hold a genuine government ID and that their live face matches it. That's a materially stronger basis for “who signed this” than possession of an inbox or a shared link, particularly for documents where the identity of the signer actually matters: leases, loan agreements, powers of attorney, closing documents.

Where it fits in the signing flow

A signer is sent a link before (or as a gate ahead of) the signing step. They complete a document check, a liveness challenge and a face match on their own phone, then proceed to sign once verification succeeds. Consent to the flow is recorded at the point they accept the terms of the signing session. The verification result and the signature event both become part of the record for that document.

• Document and face match: confirms the signer holds a genuine ID and that their live face matches the document photo.
• Liveness: confirms a real, present person, not a photo or a screen, completed the check.
• Signed record: the verification outcome and the signing event are both entered in the Activity Ledger, an append-only record enforced by the database.
• English and French: the verification flow supports both, matching a bilingual signing experience.

The audit trail behind the signature

If a signed document is ever challenged — a dispute over who actually signed, or a compliance review — you want more than a timestamp and an IP address. The Activity Ledger gives you a searchable record of the identity check and the signing activity, entries that can be added but never edited or deleted, so the trail behind a signature holds up to scrutiny after the fact. This is the model Trust Ledger, built on ShieldID, uses today.

Getting started

A sandbox session, never billed, lets you see the verification-then-signing flow end to end before it's part of a live document workflow.