Making the Agora Vanish

[David Honig]

At 05:24 PM 4/15/01 -0500, Aimee Farr wrote:
>Bear said:
>> >Nobody in conventional
>> >business is going to want to do a deal with someone when they can't
>> >create a legally enforceable contract.
>
>Actually, I'm past this. I don't need it.
>
>My problem is the value of the information within an information mercantile
>system - which involves policing the polycentric merchant community.
>Otherwise, such a system would become subject to "information policymaking,
>information peacekeeping / diplomacy - massive misinformation." Just basic
>abuse considerations, but with extreme ramifications in the context of the
>"Intel agora" hypothetical I posed.


You've identified one of several attacks on a distributed reputation system.
The next step is to identify solutions to these problems.  
Then iterate, until you're proposing really hard attacks on the part of
your adversary.  At which point you've learned something.

Remembering that disinfo, psyops, nym-unmasking, and other forms of social
engineering
are available options.  If you can tie the meat to the T-shaped crucifix and 
inject what you want, you win.

That's the game.  But you knew that.

If you wish to claim that enforcable contracts require meatspace identity,
claim that, and listen to the discussion.



>(I'm just playing around with your concepts.... unless I envision an complex
>contextual framework, I can't envision the applications and the obstacles.)
>
>~Aimee

Don't play with us unless you're sincere.

"Like sodium and water",

dh