Let’s Encrypt opens automated certificates to the public

Context and provenance

On December 3, 2015, Let's Encrypt entered public beta. The service's announcement invited the public to obtain certificates and help test an approach centered on automation and broad availability. Certificates are part of the infrastructure used to establish encrypted HTTPS connections, so making them easier to obtain and renew addressed a practical obstacle for website operators. This milestone does not mean that encryption was invented in 2015 or that a certificate guarantees the honesty of a site's content. It marks an effort to make an existing protective technology easier to deploy routinely, including for smaller organizations and independently maintained websites.

Why it matters

Editorial perspective: A protective practice spreads more easily when its cost and maintenance burden shrink. Good infrastructure turns repeated specialist work into a manageable routine, allowing more people to publish without needing an unusually large technical team.

Sources and evidence

1. Let’s Encrypt: Entering Public Beta