What document signing is
A signature is a claim: 'I approved this.' Traditional e-signature systems (DocuSign, Adobe Sign, HelloSign) capture that claim, add a timestamp, and store the whole record in a vendor-managed audit log. The document + audit trail together constitute the signed artifact. Verification requires going back to the vendor.
What document authorization is
Authorization is a chain: 'this identity, at this device, at this location, under this policy, with these preconditions, approved this specific version of this document at this moment.' Every element is a hash; the whole chain composes to a decision hash that is cryptographically bound to the document version. The chain is verifiable without querying the H33 runtime.
Why 'signed by DocuSign' is a weaker claim than it sounds
A DocuSign signature proves that DocuSign observed a click, at a timestamp, from a session it authenticated. It does not prove the identity was biometric-attested, the device was trusted, the location was expected, or the policy in force required this signer. Those are separate questions that DocuSign does not answer cryptographically.
Why on-chain notarization is not just marketing
H33 anchors document version hashes to Solana at signing time. The anchor is a third-party time proof — any block explorer can verify that this exact document version existed at this exact moment. This is not the same as e-signing; it is a separate durability layer that survives H33 itself going away.
Where they conflict at the audit
In a contested signature dispute, DocuSign's timeline is the authoritative record — you have to trust DocuSign's log. H33's chain is verifiable independently — an auditor reconstructs the decision from the receipt alone, without asking H33 for anything. That is the difference between 'trust the vendor' and 'trust math'.
Where H33 fits
H33 replaces the signing action with an authorization action for high-stakes documents — legal instruments, board approvals, executive comms. DocuSign remains the standard for lower-stakes flows where 'click to accept' is the model. The two coexist; H33 is the upgrade path for anything you'd want to defend in court decades later.