Reflux on distrusting trust.

[reddragdiva]

I think I've encapsulated what strikes me as most nonsensical about the 'web of trust' part of a Public Key Infrastructure system. Check this fucked-up shit: GnuPG Keysigning Party HOWTO.

I haven't required that level of ID verification from people I've shacked up with.

These people really think this will build a 'web of trust' involving someone other than dedicated and fanatical drones for the Cause those obsessed with "great opportunities to discuss the political and social issues surrounding strong cryptography, individual liberties, individual sovereignty, and even implementing encryption technologies or perhaps future work on free encryption software." That this will spread their web beyond people who are already true believers.

It's geek social fallacy #4 as a Taylorised procedure. It tries to make social trust into the binary absolute of mathematical, cryptographic trust, so looks like it was created by people with no damn clue what social interaction is or is for. Social interaction is all about the grey areas.