Becoming 'trusted'

When you first obtain a certificate, you are considered 'untrusted'. This is nothing personal, and many people use untrusted certificates for a long time. It simply means that Thawte cannot vouch for you. The free certificate that you obtained from them is a valid certificate, but the 'issued to:' section in the certificate will show 'Thawte Freemail Member' instead of your name. It will, however, include your e-mail address and is valid for signing and encrypting your messages.

In order to become trusted, and have your personal name in your certificate, you will need to visit with at least two Thawte 'Notaries'. A notary can issue you trust points. You will need 50 trust points to get a certificate with your name in it. Depending on where you live, this may be easy, or it may be a total pain. (There is an alternative way to become trusted - log in to Thawte's 'Web of Trust' section to find out more.)

Notaries can issue between 10 and 35 points to you. This depends on the experience of the notary. A new notary can issue only 10 points; an experienced one can issue 35. As you can see, since you need 50 points - it requires at least 2 notaries.

Most notaries charge nothing for their service, but check on the notary directory on Thawte's web site. You must log in using your ID to find this directory.

You can become a notary by obtaining 100 trust points. By becoming a notary, you can help broaden the usage of digital signatures. The more people that use a signature, the more widely know they will be. Encourage your friends and family to sign their messages.

If you need a notary in Tucson, Arizona - click here

Previous Page

Next Page