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examples against which to test designs
I don't think we should consider designing a PKI or new certificate
structure without having in mind some actual uses against which we can test
new designs. To that end, I would like to propose the following and ask
others to contribute more if I've forgotten some major areas...
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1a. You're a shipping clerk in a company and have received a digitally
signed P.O. You need to decide whether to ship the product.
1b. You are software running on a web server, doling out valuable
information. You receive a signed request and need to decide whether to
ship.
2. You're a reporter in an election year and have been forwarded an e-mail
allegedly by a candidate which includes some prejudicial words [ala the
Canuck letter in the 1972 campaign]. How do you learn what you need to
know before you publish it?
3. You're a private individual, exchanging encrypted e-mail with your
lover. How do you know that the signed message you just received is, in
fact, from your lover?
4. You're a member of a political lobbying organization, planning a
surprise demonstration outside the White House. You receive signed mail
from someone purporting to be sympathetic to the goals of your organization
and wanting to join, asking for details of the demonstration. You want to
know if this person is a real member or a spy from the Administration.
You've never heard of this person before although he does say that he has
learned of the organization and the demonstration from a member you do know
is on the rolls. How do you know whether to trust the correspondent and
release details of the demonstration?
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- Carl
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|Carl M. Ellison cme@cybercash.com http://www.clark.net/pub/cme |
|CyberCash, Inc., Suite 430 http://www.cybercash.com/ |
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