Washington legal term
Digital signature in Washington Criminal Law
Current through 2026 Washington legislative session
In Washington criminal law, “Digital signature” is a term defined by statute rather than by its everyday meaning. Its statutory definition — quoted verbatim below — controls how the term is applied throughout the Washington criminal code.
What does “Digital signature” mean in Washington criminal law?
"Digital signature" means an electronic signature that is a transformation of a message using an asymmetric cryptosystem such that a person who has the initial message and the signer's public key can accurately determine whether the: (i) Transformation was created using the private key that corresponds to the signer's public key; and (ii) Initial message has been altered since the transformation was made. (RCW 9.38.060)
Statutes defining or using this term
Related terms in the same statutes
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.