ESA

Short for the Electronic Signatures Act, a U.S. legal document that designates that digital signatures carry the legal force of handwritten signatures (i.e., they are legally binding for contracts and transactions). The act defines an electronic signature as any electronic symbol, sound or process that is attached to or logically associated with a contract or record, and that is adopted by a person with the intent to effectuate a signature with the contract or record.

The full name of the act is the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, which was signed into effect by President Clinton on October 1, 2000.