[m3047]

> if I can quickly prove to the world that I indeed really have that degree.

So as not to bury the lede, certificates of authority as to any legitimacy are a lot like Certificate Authorities; it's the Conway principle. They always want "revocation authority" and it's never "proved" unless they check it again this time... just for you!

I happen to still interact with people who are affiliated with the institution where I "stole" an education. I legitimately obtained certification for completing a course of study in numerical analysis; no cheating. A few years ago I don't know what they did but I strongly suspect a butt sniffing tool for alumni was introduced, because people started being like that.

Cutting to the end, a couple of years ago I ordered a transcript for $11, by regular post, paid with a check. I strongly suspect that now buttsniff shows something like "transcript available".