&gt; This could easily become the norm, and should.<p>a stronger version of this IS the norm in many countries in Europe and large security conscious enterprises in the united states: an ID card issued that is also a high security module. it&#x27;s better than your scheme because the ID card is also a computer that can respond to signing requests by a host computer and the private key doesn&#x27;t leave the ID card, ever. governments issue and service tens to hundreds of millions of these cards a year.