The first digital signatories were Edgar Savisaar and Andrus Ansip. While in 2003, 14,317 digital signatures were given by ID-card users, around 123 million signatures were given last year with ID-cards, Mobile-ID, and Smart-ID.
‘The ID-card and electronic signing laid the foundations for our e-government. It is hard to imagine having to go to offices and agencies to sign documents. The digital lifestyle is a normal part of everyday life for people here. In Estonia, digital identity is nationally guaranteed and secured, and a high level of trust also enables i-voting,’ said Martin Lambing, Head of the Electronic Identity Department at the Estonian Information System Authority.
He added that, unlike in the early 2000s, people can now choose between different signing methods, such as Mobile-ID and Smart-ID. ‘Every citizen must have an ID-card. However, it is more convenient to do things on a smart device with Mobile-ID, which was introduced in 2007, or Smart-ID, which was launched in 2017. Ideally, one may want to use all three, should one of the services fail,’ said Lambing.
‘It is hard to accurately predict which means of digital signing will be available for people in the future. In any case, it has to be secure and easy to use,’ Lambing added.
‘SK ID Solutions is linked in one way or another to every digital signature. In the first ten years, 100 million signatures were given in Estonia; now, more than 100 million digital signatures are given in one year. This huge growth is a recognition that the eID solutions we offer are practical and that we help to make the day-to-day life of Estonians more convenient and secure,’ said Liisa Lukin, member of the board of SK ID Solutions.
Digital signature statistics
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In 20 years, 1,085,791 people have given at least one digital signature.
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On average, a Mobile-ID user gives more than 10 signatures in a month, a Smart-ID user less than 10, and an ID-card user gives five signatures per month.
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The highest number of signatures are given on the 8th and 10th day of the month, with an average of more than 470,000 signatures given on those days. The average number of signatures in a day is around 350,000.
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This year, the most popular time for digital signing is between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., with almost 100,000 signatures being given at peak times.
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On average, 835,000 signatures are given per month with the RIA DigiDoc software.
