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What is legal status of document digest? Are there special regulations which hash functions are considered in legalise?

Most important: Which digest functions would be reasonable nowadays for securing files against forgery, being altered (and having legally considered proofs, just like digital signatures)?

Background:

In some countries (we can narrow to European Union and US to be more specific) digital signatures are regulated by law. (Most information, I've found, is about PKI requirements.)

As we know, before message is signed with asymmetric cryptography, firstly it is digested with hash function.

Therefore, considering digital signature as legal proof/evidence implies that message digest must be considered as legal proof/evidence as well (e.g. 2nd preimage attack = against forgery of document = proving that document has not been altered, etc.).

Question is about hash function creating such document digest, their legal status and attack resistance (especially against 1st & 2nd preimage attacks)

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Welcome to Cryptography Stack Exchange. This site is more about the theoretical aspects of cryptography, not the legal ones. As such, I'm closing your question as off-topic. – Paŭlo Ebermann♦ Oct 14 '12 at 19:12
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@Paŭlo: I just started a meta thread about whether questions like this should be on topic here. You may want to contribute your opinion there. – Ilmari Karonen Oct 15 '12 at 13:38

closed as off topic by Paŭlo Ebermann♦ Oct 14 '12 at 19:12

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