Trust is Everything

DigiNotar has just declared bankruptcy. The Dutch Certificate Authority (CA) was compromised on July 19, and soon after all major browsers were updated to reject their certificates. Since over 500 rogue certificates had been issued, people cannot trust DigiNotar. The CA business is all about trust, and without that trust, a CA cannot do business. Trust is so important, and cannot easily be regained. In DigiNotar's case, it won't be. Individual trust is much the same. We trust our friends, our family, and our spouses. If any one of them breaks that trust, there is no going back. It can take years to rebuild that trust, and sometimes it's never back to 100%. Think of all the relationships that have permanently ended as a result of broken trust. In contrast, think of all the amazing relationships that exist as a result of complete trust. In both business and personal life, I submit that trust is one of the most important things we can ever have.