Email conversations have made me realize that I didn't sufficiently explain an important aspect of this hypothetical algorithm. I understand that there are times that privacy, and authentication schemes that aim at establishing unique identity for the purpose of guaranteeing privacy, are an end in themselves. The speculative algorithm I mentioned, which would authenticate intentions and goals and such, was intended only to address situations where authentication of identity for privacy was a means to an end, not an end in itself. In situations where only privacy and authentication of individual identity of such will do, for arbitrary reasons as opposed to functional reasons, I've nothing to say (for the moment. ;-) But in situations where there is a *functional* reason to authenticate identity, then and only then do I propose to consider a hypothetical algorithm in which goals and/or motivations and/or philosophy and/or ethics and/or etc is called in to play. Thanks for all the responses and feedback to date. Doug