Why did personal digital certificates fail to gain widespread adoption?

Asked Dec 12, 2012· 1 answer
Faisal KhanAnswered Dec 12, 2012
Here are some points to consider:

  1. Too complicated for an average user to understand (average users have a hard enough time configuring their SMTP / POP on their email clients as it is).
  2. Not instant
  3. Need to have credentials verified by a 3rd party (for a true identity match and authentication)
  4. Actual usage scenarios (various studies have shown, you can Google for them, that not very many scenarios exist where personal digital certificates are required).
  5. They are not free (lets not consider PGP here, see point #1)
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