Signs of the times: Digital document verifications accelerate amid Covid-19

The use of digital signatures and online verification of documents has touched a new high after the onset of the pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has put the focus on digital services, with even traditional businesses and education moving online. An oft-overlooked aspect of this transition is document authentication, which has largely been a physical process so far.

The technology to authenticate documents has existed for a while, but the pandemic has taken its adoption to new highs.

Consider the DigiLocker, one of the key initiatives under the government’s Digital India plan, which allows citizens to store certificates and official documents — such as birth certificates, university degrees and income tax documents — in an online digital format.  

Launched in 2015-16, DigiLocker was envisaged as