Jerry/Hal, This lemon-car analogy is interesting.
One sidebar that might be worked into the argument is the apparently widespread side-line business where a car is auctioned on eBay but before the sale is consumated the buyer engages a mechanic to check the car out pre-sale. The car and the mechanic are generally remote from the buyer but local to each other, and the mechanic is paid by the prospective buyer. The prospective buyer does not know the mechanic and is instead relying on some (to me) unknown combination of eBay endorsement and personal reputation. Note that all of what I just said is hearsay, though my office-mate says that he has bought three cars by this method. It almost causes me to say "relying party" out loud... If this idea is a rathole, then my fault and my apology. --dan --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]