Agreement: the bargain of the parties in fact, as found in their language or inferred from other circumstances and from rules and procedures given the effect of agreements under laws otherwise applicable to a particular transaction
Automated transaction: a transaction conducted or performed, in whole or in part, by electronic means or electronic records, in which the acts or records of one or both parties are not reviewed by an individual in the ordinary course in forming a contract, performing under an existing contract, or fulfilling an obligation required by the transaction
Computer program: a set of statements or instructions to be used directly or indirectly in an information processing system in order to bring about a certain result
Contract: the total legal obligation resulting from the parties' agreement as affected by this chapter and other applicable law
Cryptography: the science of securing and scrambling information from the sender and allowing the receiver to unscramble it. Example: Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
Digital Signature: an electronic authentication process attached to or logically associated with an electronic document. The digital signature must be:
Document Certification: allows the document creator to ensure that no changes will be made to the document after signing. If any changes are made to a certified document after a certifying signature they will be very apparent and prevent anyone else from validating said document. The option of document certification should only be used when there is only going to a single signature on a form or document.
Electronic: relating to technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic, or similar capabilities.
Electronic agent: a computer program or an electronic or other automated means used independently to initiate an action or respond to electronic records or performances in whole or in part, without review or action by an individual.
Electronic Commerce: persons doing business with other persons with computers and telephones or television cable lines.
Electronic Contract: an agreement created and "signed" in electronic form – in other words, no paper or other hard copies used.
Electronic Record: a contract or other record created, generated, sent, communicated, received, or stored by electronic means.
Electronic Signature: an electronic sound, character, symbol, or process attached to or logically associated with a record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record, or associated with an electronic document
Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN): An act that went effective in October 2000, outlining the use of electronic records and contracts entered into electronically.
Governmental agency: an executive, legislative, or judicial agency, department, board, commission, authority, institution, or instrumentality of the federal government or of a state or of a county, municipality, or other political subdivision of a state
Information: data, text, images, sounds, codes, computer programs, software, databases, or the like
Information processing system: an electronic system for creating, generating, sending, receiving, storing, displaying, or processing information
Person: an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, governmental agency, public corporation, or any other legal or commercial entity
Record: information that is inscribed on a tangible medium or that is stored in an electronic or other medium and is retrievable in perceivable form
Security procedure: a procedure employed for the purpose of verifying that an electronic signature, record, or performance is that of a specific person or for detecting changes or errors in the information in an electronic record. The term includes a procedure that requires the use of algorithms or other codes, identifying words or numbers, encryption, or callback or other acknowledgment procedures
S-Signatures: an electronic signature between forward slashes and includes any signature made by non-handwritten means (i.e., electronic or mechanical)
Signature Validation: verification by the recipient of an electronically signed document to confirm the identity of the signer/sender before the electronic signature may be considered valid. The first (and typical) method is verification of the identity of the signer. If the was supposed to be signed by a certain person and their name appears, then this requirement has been met. Secondly, it is common to identify the method/source of delivery. If the document arrives from the signer's unique email address then the second validation method criterion has also been met.
State: a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The term includes an Indian tribe or band, or Alaskan native village, which is recognized by federal law or formally acknowledged by a state
Transaction: an action or set of actions occurring between two or more persons relating to the conduct of business, commercial, or governmental affairs.
Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA): the first comprehensive effort to prepare state law for the electronic commerce era
Notices and Offers by Electronic Methods: Process Streamlining
