> Why should I trust dozens or hundreds of companies worldwide to certify that I'm talking to my local university? Couldn't the university provide you a copy o

> Why should I trust dozens or hundreds of companies worldwide to certify that I'm talking to my local university? Couldn't the university provide you a copy of the certificate chain it uses such that you can import it into your browser (or other client) certificate authority store? Then you personally have verified the university's identity and can tell your client to trust them as an authority.