At 12:51 AM 10/6/95, Scott Brickner wrote:
A public key *is* "very probably unique". A "randomly selected" 1024 bit prime number has a specific amount of entropy in it. The likelihood of two users world wide "randomly" choosing the same such prime may be precisely determined (assuming you can figure the entropy).
Who needs a KCA to certify it?
The real benefit of the KCA is as a means of linking the key with a unique person. As I've commented before, anonyms have no meaningful "credit rating".
If I understand your usage of "anonym" correctly, I think you are clearly wrong. An anonymous agent who has no persistence (no past history, no continuing history, no expectation by others of future history) probably has no credit rating, no "reputation." However, an anonymous agent _with_ a persistent presence can have a credit rating or reputation. Many examples of this, e.g., Pr0duct Cypher, Black Unicorn, S. Boxx, and others. The "linking with a unique person" is not especially important, IMO. --Tim May Views here are not the views of my Internet Service Provider or Government. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay@got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^756839 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders are just speed bumps on the information superhighway."