What does a digital signature actually look like in real life?

2026, Aug 25    

You’ve seen the stamp at the bottom of a signed PDF. But what is it — a picture, a seal, a password? Imagine building it out of real things: a note in a glass box that anyone can read, a key that only locks — one copy, never shared — and a key that only opens, handed to everyone. Follow one note from Marko to Boris twice, once in an open box and once in a locked one, and you’ll know what the stamp proves, what it doesn’t, and why “signed” is not “secret”. One page, one diagram, no jargon — and the PDF is itself signed, so you can click the stamp and check the story against the real thing.

Download the signed PDF — open it in a PDF reader that checks signatures (a browser only shows the picture) and click the stamp.

The one-page article: a note delivered in Marko's open glass box (column A) and in his locked glass box (column B), how to read the stamp, what the lock proves and what it does not do

This is a picture of the page — as the page says, a browser only shows the picture. Download the PDF to open the box.