Electronic contracts are certainly useful.

At present, Articles 13 and 14 of People's Republic of China (PRC) Electronic Signature Law recognize the legal effect of reliable electronic signatures; Articles 10 and 1 1 of the Civil Code recognize that data messages can be used as legal carriers of written contracts. Article 1 16 of the Supreme People's Court's Interpretation on the Application of the Civil Procedure Law of People's Republic of China (PRC) recognizes the legal status of electronic data as legal evidence.

However, not all electronic signatures provided by any institution are protected by law. Only reliable electronic signatures provided by CA institutions established according to law and obtained the electronic certification service license of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology are protected by the Electronic Signature Law. Only electronic contracts signed by reliable electronic signatures can have the same legal effect as handwritten signatures or seals, and have the legal effect of documentary evidence in judicial proceedings. The process of obtaining evidence and identification can also be proved by reference books, which is convenient and fast. In other words, an electronic contract signed with a reliable electronic signature needs to pass through a third-party electronic contract platform and has the same legal effect as a paper contract.

According to the above answers, it can be concluded that electronic contracts are of course effective, and there are provisions in the electronic signature law and the contract law. Data messages are the legal carriers of written contracts, so signing online is also effective.