Washington statute
RCW 9.38.060 — Digital signature violations
Current through 2026 Regular Session
Part of Chapter 9.38: False Representations, Revised Code of Washington.
Criminal charges under this statute
Full text of RCW 9.38.060
Statutory text current through the 2026 Regular Session. This publication reproduces the official text of the Revised Code of Washington from the Code Reviser's published files; it is not the official statutes of the State of Washington.
(1) A person shall not knowingly misrepresent the person's identity or authorization to obtain a public key certificate used to reference a private key for creating a digital signature.
(2) A person shall not knowingly forge an electronic or digital signature.
(3) A person shall not knowingly present a public key certificate for which the person is not the owner of the corresponding private key in order to obtain unauthorized access to information or engage in an unauthorized transaction.
(4) A person who violates this section is guilty of a class C felony punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW.
(5)(a) "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.
(b) "Electronic signature" has the meaning provided in RCW 1.80.010.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
Questions this section answers
Is digital signature violations a felony or a misdemeanor in Washington?
Digital signature violations is a Class C Felony in Washington under RCW 9.38.060.
Which Washington statute covers digital signature violations?
Digital signature violations is governed by RCW 9.38.060 (Digital signature violations).
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.