digital signing

I have started experimenting with winpt and find it very easy to use to sign (and encrypth) email. Encryption has become common place on the web though few people realize it. SSL (secure socket layer) encrypts messages between the browser and the server and is needed for effective ecommerce. Without this type of encryption few people would transmit their credit card information on-line because of the evil people on-line (i.e. crackers). SSL (or something like it) is required for e-commerce. THe same is not true for digital signatures of email (ensures true identity of sender) or for encryption of email (equivelent to a sealed envelope). It would be nice if a government related agency such as the us post office would provide a digital key service (the could use the gnupg softare which is free software (open source) and is easy to get, distribute and install. All the software components are available, it is just a matter of making it available in an easy to use package such as winpt (also open source). The bigger issue is the lack of perceived need.