Electronic commerce means different things to different people. To many it means electronic shopping. I think over time it will mean much more than that and will include things like certified mail, transfer of medical records, applying for mortgages, loans, and life insurance, and perhaps filing a will. All these things and others will be made possible by the widespread use, understanding, and trust we will learn to have in public key cryptography. One of the technologies that I believe will make this happen is the X509 V3 certificate.