Why can't you sign legal documents with a Fingerprint?

It would clear up any confusion between the flesh and blood you and the (perhaps mythical) straw man/corporate you.

Doesn't sound like a bad idea, hard to forge someones fingerprint.

It would be inconvenient in everyday use.

How do you tell one fingerprint from another wth the naked eye?

Originally posted by VforVendettea
It would clear up any confusion between the flesh and blood you and the (perhaps mythical) straw man/corporate you.

i think you have answered your own question!

It's common practice to do this in parts of Asia actually.

Fold the top page of the document over to another page on the signing area, use a washable ink pad and press the thumb on the 2 areas so that only half a print is visible until the 2 papers are brought together for a match. Did it many times myself

No way to forge that one.

Peace

Because people can't read fingerprints.

Originally posted by Dembow
It would be inconvenient in everyday use.

How do you tell one fingerprint from another wth the naked eye?

I think this argument is off, since all papers you sign have your name printed also on the forms besides the signature.

reply to post by buster2010


When was the last time someone looked at a signature? They don't read those anymore either.
Not being snarky but do you think if they did actually recognise you and match up your signature identity theft wouldn't be so rampant.

Originally posted by Dembow
It would be inconvenient in everyday use.

How do you tell one fingerprint from another wth the naked eye?

Same could be said for signatures unless one is experienced in matching writing styles.

I have been told by cashiers as supermarkets that my signature is not mine when they attempt to match to my credit card.
I politely ask them at which educational institution they received their degree to be able match peoples handwriting.

After a weird or dumfounded look they get the manager or I ask for a manager to approve the sale.

One time a store manager tried telling me its a security purpose in which I responded with the same crap asking where they're employees were trained to match handwriting and that any security concerning credit cards belongs solely to bank that issued the card as it is their property, just like the 20 dollar bill in your pocket belongs to the treasury and is yours only to use as barter.

This doesn't sound like a too bad idea as i seem to be unable to reproduce my signature twice looking the same it always looks different.

But how can you be expected to fill in a form at home with a fingerprint, does this mean we have to all go out and buy ink pads for our desks ?

The entire world...and smaller non tech countries dont have the resources for verification-indentification-detection equipment.

It would only work in about 1/3 of the world...and only if they all had the proven-tested tech.

Try taking your doc's over-seas to countries whom cannot read them...

Your name would be "big-black-print-with-wavy-lines".

Naw, the REAL question is why faxed documents count as "signatures" and emailed ones do not. Ooo! It SO hard to physically clip off a signature, paste it onto a document, and fax it someone else that I might just die. Really. sigh.

Question for OP - why would you want to?

If I showed you a document, with a finger print at the bottom, and said that it was yours, how long would it take, and how practicable would it be to verify that it was, if you considered it not to be?

without a computer, and a magnifying glass I don't think I'd be able to easily identify my finger print from a random sample. even mine and one other against each other, I'd struggle to say which was mine just looking at them.

with a written signature I'm normally over 95% confident.

reply to post by VforVendettea


Because a fingerprint can be faked as well and is even less safe! Imagine you see a thumbprint on a piece of paper. Could you see afterwards if it was done by a thumb or a rubber stamp? I don´t think so.

With a signature you can at least analyse it and have a chance of detecting fraud.

Plus we already have used the signing system for quite a while know. Meaning we know the risk.

Why change something that isn´t broken?

I guess the future for small contracts and transactions is wireless anyway.

Originally posted by CrastneyJPR
Question for OP - why would you want to?

If I showed you a document, with a finger print at the bottom, and said that it was yours, how long would it take, and how practicable would it be to verify that it was, if you considered it not to be?

without a computer, and a magnifying glass I don't think I'd be able to easily identify my finger print from a random sample. even mine and one other against each other, I'd struggle to say which was mine just looking at them.

with a written signature I'm normally over 95% confident.

Sorry you made the point before me hehe. Just saw it after I posted.

Originally posted by VforVendettea
It would clear up any confusion between the flesh and blood you and the (perhaps mythical) straw man/corporate you.

my name is as opposed to MY NAME IS wont bound you to the legal documents due to you name being in small caps. Now using fingerprints may offset the (real) you and the ELECTRONIC REPRESENTIVE of you process. Which seems wild none the less but good question.

If they made a way to make this method completely practical, I'd be be all over it. I rarely write physically on paper, so my signature looks like a messy scribbled print akin to how a child would write her name for the first time. (Signatures are supposed to be written fast, right?)
It raises my stepdad's temper like nothing else, and he makes me do it over again. It never looks any better, of course. I'm so glad I have my mom around to argue with him and cite my dad's sweeping line with a dot at the end.

Actually, fingerprints aren't unique. We are just lead to believe this but if you do a bit of research, you'll find this is the case.

A signature is, because of the individual style of writing. Even a forged one is unique.
Either way, I'm inclined to think that it has something to do with the legal straw man.

FWIW, I witnessed a man at the U.S. border having his fingerprints scanned and being identified as a different person. He spent some time explaining to the officer that this happens to him all the time and his fingerprints are identical to the other person. After some phone calls, he was allowed through.

Originally posted by VforVendettea
It would clear up any confusion between the flesh and blood you and the (perhaps mythical) straw man/corporate you.

There are banks around here that will take a print in addition if you dont have an account but are cashing one of their checks.

As well one of the check cashing places down the road has a print recorder, takes a photo of print when you cash. They must have their own data bank but couldnt tell you if others can use the info.

They do in other countries .. where people may not know how to read or write .. the elderly .. or illiterate ones ..usually people from villages ..
Fingerprints have always been accepted ... but not in the Western world I guess ..