At 02:20 PM 6/13/00 -0400, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>> While we're fantasizing, let's imagine that it uses some kind of crypto
>> credential system to prevent abuse. Is this feasible?
>
>What do you mean by "abuse"?
Abuse in such a system definable, e.g., someone who pretends to be someone
else to rate themselves. You could, for instance, do this with
slashdot's audience-editor system (where readers rate other readers'
constributions).
And yes, crypto protocols can make such a system robust against a number
of 'abuses', at a cost of various degrees of inconvenience. Strong
links to electronic voting.
More subtle forms of abuse are common, e.g., grad students over-citing
their advisors' works... anonymous posters having arguments with
themselves.. etc.
[Supposedly the Fedz are investigating someone for fraud who had his
friends bid up his item at e-auction; this strikes me as yet more fascism.
Other
bidders were not coerced or defrauded. One grocery store charges more for
beer than another; should the Feds go in and set mark-ups?]
