The Value of User-Visible Internet Cryptography
It addresses the problem of low adoption of explicit cryptographic tools by typical users, but is incremental as it focuses on surveying and assessing rather than proposing new solutions.
This paper surveys deployed and potential technologies for user-visible internet cryptography, assessing their value and issues for non-expert users in social and legal contexts.
Cryptographic mechanisms are used in a wide range of applications, including email clients, web browsers, document and asset management systems, where typical users are not cryptography experts. A number of empirical studies have demonstrated that explicit, user-visible cryptographic mechanisms are not widely used by non-expert users, and as a result arguments have been made that cryptographic mechanisms need to be better hidden or embedded in end-user processes and tools. Other mechanisms, such as HTTPS, have cryptography built-in and only become visible to the user when a dialogue appears due to a (potential) problem. This paper surveys deployed and potential technologies in use, examines the social and legal context of broad classes of users, and from there, assesses the value and issues for those users.