[kwlug-disc] Fwd: [kw-pm] CAcert talk, May 19th

Behan Webster behanw at websterwood.com
Mon May 16 11:52:56 EDT 2011


FYI

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Re: [kw-pm] CAcert talk, May 19th
Date: 	Sat, 14 May 2011 15:43:52 -0400
From: 	Daniel Allen <dada.da at gmail.com>
To: 	kw-pm at pm.org



A reminder about our meeting on Thursday the 19th of May, for anyone
interested in SSL certificates based on webs-of-trust!

Please note location change to MC 5158 (a larger room). See below for
all the details.

*ABOUT CACERT*

tl;dr version: /Free two-year renewable SSL server certificates!/

CAcert <http://www.cacert.org/> is an alternative to the commercial
certificate authorities (CAs), allowing users to create free SSL
certificates signed by a trusted CA.

We plan to have an Assurance event at our May kw.pm <http://kw.pm>
meeting, Thursday the 19th of May. Come out, learn about CAcert, and we
expect that we'll have enough "assurers" present to get you started
(able to make certificates; and build the web of trust by assuring others).

*To Participate at the Meeting*

To receive assurance points at the meeting, please visit CAcert.org
<http://www.cacert.org/> and make yourself an account, tied to an email
address you will use to receive assurances at the meeting. Also please
bring two forms of government issued photo ID; such as provincial health
card, passport, driver's licence, etc. (Your ID will just be reviewed,
not recorded).

Optionally, bring a laptop and you can follow along to install the
CAcert root certificates in your browsers, and log into CAcert.org to
review your status along the way to being an assurer.

Put your name on the PizzaList
<http://kw.pm.org/wiki/index.cgi?PizzaList> for free pizza (sponsored by
an anonymous rotating donor).

*The Local Network of Trust*

>From the CAcert Assurance Handbook
<http://wiki.cacert.org/AssuranceHandbook2#Some_more_information_on_CAcert>:


    * CAcert separates assurance (confirmation of identity) from the
      issuing of the certificates. Thereby the identity only has to be
      confirmed once to make as many certificates as needed and whenever
      wanted.
    * CAcert is a "non-profit" community of volunteers. It is
      independent from commercial CAs.
    * Some CAs issue free certs, and some use a Web of Trust, but they
      tend to only issue low-level client certificates, but no server
      certificates or strongly verified certs. These free certs are
      intended to drive you to their CA so they can sell you higher
      value products. There is nothing wrong with that (your supermarket
      does the same thing) but it might not be appropriate to your needs.

It's important to get a good network of trust built up. The more people
you have who have assured your identity the better.

The Kitchener/Waterloo area has only a few registered assurers. At this
meeting, we can at least double the number of assurers, putting us
roughly on par with Toronto's count of assurers!... And thereby growing
the global web-of-trust.

*Location*

This meeting will be held in MC 5158, in the Math Building. Here's a map
<http://kw.pm.org/maps/finding-math-building.png>. If you're driving,
the recommended parking is in Lot N, $3 pay-and-display. From Lot N,
it's a short walk along the Ring Road to DC then a right onto the
service road to MC. (There is construction blocking some paths on
campus, marked as hard-hats on the map above).

Hope to see you on Thursday the 19th!

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