At 01:06 PM 12/11/95 -0700, Bryce wrote:
To get to the point, I want to know if this "fundamental tradeoff" that you refer to is in fact *fundamental*. That is to say: is the product of the "security factor" and the "usability factor" a constant? Or are there methods which can be practically implemented to make strong cryptography easier for Joe Average to use without exposing Joe to unnecessary risks?
Web of trust is a mess because it attempts to link keys to physical people, which in general cannot be done. If we stick to a lesser goal -- constancy of identity -- this is not so hard. In general it is impossible to prove that Bryce is the "real" Bryce, but it is trivial to prove that Bryce is the same Bryce who has a certain Web page, and the same Bryce who posted a certain article in archives. We should blow off this attempt to do the impossible. --------------------------------------------------------------------- | We have the right to defend ourselves | http://www.jim.com/jamesd/ and our property, because of the kind | of animals that we are. True law | James A. Donald derives from this right, not from the | arbitrary power of the state. | jamesd@echeque.com