One of the keys to effective security procedures on the Internet is verifying who is who. Certificates facilitate that process by providing a means to identify an organization or individual. A digital certificate, also called an authentication certificate, allows you to confirm that an e-mail message or Web page did in fact originate from the organization or individual it claims to come from.

You do not need to obtain your own certificate unless you plan to receive encrypted e-mail, or set up your own secure Web server. The Sympatico service does not offer its members the option of setting up a secure Web server. However, as a Sympatico member, you can obtain a certificate to receive encrypted mail.

With Web transactions, you can check if the vendor you're dealing with is certified once you've established a secure connection to their Web site. In Netscape browsers (all versions), click on View and select Document Info. In Internet Explorer 4.0, click on File, select Properties and then click the Certificates button. The certificate should inform you of the owner of the Web site as well as the certificate signer that issued the certificate.

With e-mail messages in Netscape Messenger, you will see an icon marking the message as signed with a certificate. You can click this icon to get additional information about the certificate.

A digital certificate is issued by a certificate signer or signer authority.

For security news and updates, see Netscape's help site and the Microsoft Internet Explorer security page.

Related issues about security and online shopping:

When do I need to see a certificate?
What information do certificates contain?
What is a certificate authority?
How can I tell if I have a secure connection?
How do I view my browser's current security settings?
How do I get a certificate?

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