How do SSL certificates validate a company's website?

Companies that issue digital certificates such as GlobalSign provide consumers with confidence that the companies they secure are who they claim to be.

With physical companies, identification documents like photo IDs and papers of incorporation are used to tell consumers who they are so if their products or services are defective, buyers can seek recourse. Online companies rely on digital certificates to promote their legitimacy and to protect their customer's information. To apply for a digital certificate they must prove to the certificate authority (in this case GlobalSign) that they have the credentials to present themselves as who they are online.

There are different levels of documentation which a corporation will need to provide depending on the type of certificate they wish to purchase - from proof of domain ownership to letters of incorporation.

Customers wishing to purchase AlphaSSL certificates need to prove that they are the owner of that domain. This tells online visitors that the URL "owners" are who they claim to be. This form of validation is a quicker, lower cost alternative to the True Business validation model.

Customers wishing to purchase OrganizationSSL and Organization Wildcard certificates must fax in their articles of incorporation or provide a DUNS number as part of the provisioning process. They will then be assigned a ChoicePoint Unique Identifier (CUI) - equivalent to a DUNS number. The CUI adds a corporate profile to the information embedded in the digital certificate which can be viewed by your visitors.