eseal

Eseal, or e-seal, is a term used to describe electronic seals—digital mechanisms that authenticate the origin of data or documents and assure their integrity. In general, an electronic seal attaches to a data object and attests that it was created by a particular issuer and has not been altered since it was sealed. Electronic seals are typically implemented using digital signatures, public key infrastructure (PKI), and trusted certificates, and may be governed by policy rules that define who can issue seals and under what conditions. Unlike a plain digital signature, an electronic seal emphasizes organizational authority and non-repudiation of origin for documents exchanged by an organization or government.

Applications include official documents, contracts, and certificates in e-government and business-to-business contexts. In many jurisdictions, electronic seals are recognized under electronic signature laws and regulations such as eIDAS in the European Union, which provides a framework for qualified electronic seals that carry strong evidentiary value.

In logistics and shipping, the term e-seal is also used for electronic container seals within supply-chain security systems. These systems generate audit trails of seal creation, closing, opening, and tamper events, and may integrate with RFID, GPS, or IoT devices.

Implementation considerations include key management, certificate lifetimes, revocation, interoperability, and compliance with relevant standards and regulations. The exact meaning of “eseal” can vary by domain, and some vendors market specific products or services under this name.