[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: Transitive trust and MLM
From: IN%"[email protected]" 10-MAY-1996 17:48:49.87
>Each signature has an /a priori/ probability p of correctly indicating
>validity, but these probilities are not independent at all: this key
>isn't valid, period. If one certifying signature is incorrect, all
>others on the same key must be, and vice versa -- about as correlated
>as they come.
The different paths going through those different signatures will be
correlated/non-independent, yes.... but that isn't the problem unless you're
considering multiple paths (in a more complicated version).
>To limit transitivity, constrain the path length. This limits key
>reachability too, but I think we agree that it's essential in the real
>world. (It should also make the math simpler!) The model generalizes
>to non-binary conceptions of trust, but I don't think these can
>rehabilitate transitivity. Hmm, there are some possible approaches,
>though.
IIRC, there have been some sociological studies showing that _everyone_
is linked through 6 or so people. Now, there's the question of whether you
_need_ to be linked to _everyone_ - just everyone with whom you want to do
business (e.g., excluding authoritarian types doing a sting). It does come back
to the elite vs masses distinction; I see nothing wrong (and am in favor of)
separation of the elite from the masses.
-Allen