Stephen Mason is a barrister with an interest in electronic signatures, authentication, security, electronic evidence, e-mail and internet use, the interception and monitoring of communications, data protection and privacy. He is also a member of the IT Panel of the General Council of the Bar of England and Wales, an independent director of tScheme Limited and an Associate Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.

• 1. The signature; 2. International initiatives; 3. European Union Directive on electronic signatures; 4. England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland; 5. International comparison of electronic signature laws; 6. The forms of an electronic signature; 7. The digital signature; 8. Liability; 9. Evidence; 10. Data protection.

'Mason's book is strongly recommended for any legal practitioner, policy maker, or judicial officer who needs to assess the deployment and use of electronic signatures.' Timothy S. Reiniger, Jurimetrics