more words on electronic commerce vs. PKIs

[Nicholas Bohm]

At 19:09 28/04/1998 +0100, Ben Laurie wrote:
>Carl Ellison wrote:
>> However, when one considers heavier contracts (e.g., the purchase of a home
>> or the establishment of a major business relationship), it is clear that
the
>> signing of a contract needs to be backed up by knowledge on the part of
each
>> party about the other party.  If the parties are unknown to each other,
this
>> knowledge must come from some third sources.  One has to trust those
>> sources, but that does not mean that these become TTPs, in the sense the
DTI
>> uses that term.
>
>Not really arguing with your general thrust, but this really doesn't
>seem to me to capture the process (of buying a house, at least) at all
>well. I actually bought a new house last year. I bought it from a
>couple, one of whom I met once. The deal was brokered by an estate
>agent. Again, I met him once. My solicitor dealt with the paperwork.
>I've never met him. Their solicitor dealt with their paperwork, and I
>don't even know who he/she was. The money I used to buy the house came,
>mostly, from a mortgage company. I've never met them. With a
>considerable amount of effort, I may be able to figure out whose money
>it actually is (probably other customer's of some bank - but not the
>bank that operates the mortgage, coz that's a different bank from the
>one that lent the money). What actually glued this all together, as far
>as I can work out, is the solicitors, who hold onto everything until all
>the right bits of paper, money, etc, have accumulated, and then do a
>swift exchange. Because they are solicitors, we trust them to do it
>without pulling a fast one.
>
>Who will take their place in the eCommerce world?

Solicitors.  (Declaration of interest:  I'm a solicitor.  But I don't do
conveyancing, so please don't ask.)

How will you know who they are?  The same way you do now:  look them up in
the phone directory, go to their office.  If you feel really suspicious
(hardly ever happens -- only twice I can remember after 30 years in the
law), check with the Law Society, check their practising certificate, ask
to see a passport.  While you're at it, get their public key from them in
person (forget about a licensed CA certificate).

How do solicitors know who other solicitors are?  Same methods seem to work
OK; sort of web of trust.  No doubt we'll go over to iris recognition one
spring.

	Regards,

		Nicholas Bohm

Salkyns, Great Canfield,
Takeley, Bishop's Stortford CM22 6SX, UK

Phone		01279 870285	(+44 1279 870285)
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PGP RSA 1024 bit public key ID: 0x08340015.  Fingerprint:
9E 15 FB 2A 54 96 24 37  98 A2 E0 D1 34 13 48 07
PGP DSS/DH 1024/3072 public key ID: 0x899DD7FF.  Fingerprint:
5248 1320 B42E 84FC 1E8B  A9E6 0912 AE66 899D D7FF