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Personal Digital Certificates

Set Up Your Digital Identity

Use a digital signature to certify that your messages are genuine and to encrypt your email. It all starts with obtaining a free digital certificate:

1. Go to the DoIT Tech Store. Present your UW ID card and a form of ID that is not a drivers license (e.g. credit card) to any staff member there and say that you want a digital certificate.


2. You will soon receive an invitation email from DoIT. Click the link, download the file, and install your digital certificate. The file includes instructions for configuring your email client to affix your digital signature to outgoing email.

Encrypting email is easy. After you install your digital certificate, set your email client to encrypt, either automatically or when you click on a button. Then exchange digitally signed emails with your colleague who also has a digital certificate (this provides information needed later to decrypt your messages). Your email correspondence will then be completely private.

For more information, contact pki@doit.wisc.edu. Someone from DoIT will even come to your office to help.