Are digital signatures a threat? Misc.9/27/2000; 4:03:50 PM 'Digital signatures provide an Internet user with a unique identity document protected by encryption keys which serves to assure a third party that a document, a message or a transaction comes from who it says it does. The technology may help to soothe consumer fears about the dangers posed by computer hackers and the risks of using credit cards online or sending messages securely. 'Although digital signatures may appear to solve many consumer worries, Brands believes that they raise equally pressing questions over liberties. Brands warned that digital signatures could lead to a future where the online movements of citizens can be traced by governments.'So, are digital signitures a threat? In a nutshell, no. The threat outlined in this article is simply the unique identifier threat, which is a more general problem that could not be solved by simply, say, banning digital signitures, because digital signitures are just a small part of that problem.This article is a puff piece; I just wanted to go on record as saying that.