1. A computer-implemented document processing method that comprises: receiving, from a document originator, metadata that identifies a document that is to be distributed to a document recipient as part of a workflow, wherein the document includes one or more document terms; designating a protocol for authenticating an assent to the one or more document terms that is provided by the document recipient, wherein the protocol establishes an ocular recognition technology; providing, to the document recipient in response to a received request, instructions for processing an ocular image in accordance with the protocol; receiving, from the document recipient, the assent and a processed ocular image acquired from the document recipient in accordance with the protocol; comparing the processed ocular image with a reference ocular image stored in an authentication data repository; and in response to determining that the processed ocular image and the reference ocular image were derived from the document recipient, updating a status associated with the document to indicate that the document recipient has assented to the one or more document terms.