Hidden Cert Annotation and Accessibility Checker

[Ashish35584536liel]

I created a simple "Hello World!" tagged PDF and added a hidden sign cert. It ended up as an annotation as expected.

Now, when I ran accessibility checker on this document, it complained.

Exact complaint: https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/create-verify-pdf-accessibility.html?trackingid=KACNN#TaggedAn... 

Now, I am not sure why?

Adobe Acrobat Pro version: 2024.003.20112 64-bit

[Ashish35584536liel]

When I say hidden, I mean invisible.

[S. S]

Hi @Ashish35584536liel,

Hope you are doing well. Thanks for writing in!

It looks like the accessibility checker is raising concerns about your document, potentially related to annotations, which may be causing issues with how screen readers interpret the document.

There could be different reasons I could think of which can cause this. Also, I'll try to add some potential solutions to it:

Hidden Signature Certificate as an Annotation:

• Since you've added a hidden signature certificate, the accessibility checker is likely flagging the annotation. Annotations, especially hidden ones, can sometimes interfere with accessibility or be flagged as errors if they are not properly associated with the tagged content.
• Solution: Ensure that the signature is tagged as non-interactive or has appropriate accessibility tags that indicate it doesn't interfere with reading order or accessibility. You might need to adjust the annotation properties or review the document's tag structure.

Tagged PDF Issues:

• The accessibility checker may be detecting an issue with the document's tagging structure, where the annotation (in this case, the hidden signature) is detected as an improper or misplaced element in the PDF's logical reading order.
• Solution: Open the "Tags" panel in Acrobat (View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Tags) to check the document's tag structure. Make sure that all content, including annotations, is properly tagged and placed in the correct order. You may need to tag or untie certain elements that shouldn't be part of the reading flow.

Annotation Types:

• The accessibility checker may also be flagging the document because of the specific type of annotation used. Some types of annotations (hidden signatures in your case) may not be well-supported by the accessibility standards, especially if they are not fully visible or are not tagged correctly.
• Solution: If your signature is part of the document's metadata, it might be helpful to make it explicitly invisible to screen readers or ensure it is tagged with an appropriate role to prevent the checker from flagging it.

You can refer to this article to learn more on creating and verifying accessible PDFs: Create and verify PDF accessibility, Acrobat Pro

Hope this helps.

-Souvik

[Ashish35584536liel]

Hello Sauvik!

Thanks for your feedback.

Could you please elaborate a bit on following on how to achieve it?

"If your signature is part of the document's metadata, it might be helpful to make it explicitly invisible to screen readers"

Thanks!