Digital Certificate

is a computer-based record that contains a person's identifying information and the person's digital signature public key, as well as information about the certificate authority that issued the Digital Certificate and the certificate authority's digital signature verifying the authenticity of the person's identity and digital signature. Although California Code of Regulations, title 2, section 22003 (a)(2)(C) states "although not all digitally signed communications will require the signer to obtain a certificate, the signer is capable of being issued a certificate to certify that he or she controls the key pair used to create the signature."