what is killing PKI?

[Robert J. Hansen]

On 08/24/2012 08:24 AM, peter.segment at wronghead.com wrote:
> I propose to you (and to the people who are putting all that hard
> work into gpg) that there are actually two "things killing PKI":

At risk of sounding dismissive, I really don't care what your pet theory
is until such time as you get out into the field, do a formal usability
study, write up the results and get them accepted to a peer-reviewed
journal.  Once you do that, I will be happy to read your paper, give it
due weight, and refer other people to it.

Until then, the definitive work is "Secrecy, Flagging and Paranoia:
Adoption Criteria in Encrypted Email," by Gaw, Felten and ... one other
author, blanking on it right now.

Everyone on this mailing list has their own pet theory for why PKI
adoption is so lousy.  All of us are probably wrong.  However,
published, peer-reviewed studies of PKI adoption and the forces driving
and inhibiting them are probably less wrong.