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Where to Get Your Digital ID
 

Using a digital ID is a way to send secure e-mail by digitally signing messages with a certificate that proves your identity. A digital signature is similar to showing your driver's license when you cash a check. If you want to send and reply to e-mail securely, you need to get a digital ID from a certificate authority. See Digital ID on Office Marketplace to find services that issue digital IDs.

An e-mail signature, on the other hand, is just a typed personal closure to your message with your name and possibly your contact information. A digital signature and an e-mail signature are two completely different things. Remember these key points.

  • A digital signature is not required to send regular e-mail.
  • A digital signature is not required to reply to a digitally signed message.
  • A digital signature is not required to add an e-mail signature.

Outlook Express Mail

ShowI want to stop getting this message about Digital ID

This message means that Outlook Express is configures to:
  • Digitally sign a single message.
  • Digitally sign all outgoing messages.

Choose what you want Outlook Express to do:

To stop attempting to digitally sign all outgoing messages

  1. Close any open messages.
  2. In Outlook Express, click the Tools menu, and then click Options.
  3. Click the Security tab.
  4. Clear the Digitally sign all outgoing messages check box.

To stop attempting to digitally sign a single message

  • In the message, click the Sign button Button Image so that the Digitally signed symbol is removed from the message.

ShowI want to reply to an e-mail that has been digitally signed

You can reply to an email that has been digitally signed without having a digital signature yourself.

To reply to a digitally signed message without a digital signature

  1. Double-click the message to open it.
  2. Click the Sign button Button Image so that the Digitally signed symbol is removed from the message.

If you want to send and reply to e-mail securely, you need to get a digital ID from a certificate authority. See Digital ID on Office Marketplace to find services that issue digital IDs.

ShowI want to add a personal e-mail signature to the end of my outgoing messages

If you want to add a signature to the end of an e-mail message you do not need a digital signature. Follow these steps.

To add a signature to outgoing messages

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Signatures tab.
  2. To create a signature, click New and then either enter text in the Edit Signature box or click File, and then find the text or HTML file you'd like to use.
  3. Select the Add signatures to all outgoing messages check box.

ShowI want to get a digital ID

A digital ID requires signing up with an independent certificate authority. To get a digital ID from a certificate authority, see Digital ID on Office Marketplace to find services that issue digital IDs.
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