Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Validated Identity for Trust

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community
I've known people who have looked straight into my eyes and lied to my face. So I don't think that knowing someone's identity confers trust. But not knowing someone's identity, for many people, raises doubt. Elliott Masie writes, "Without knowing who you are, it is impossible for me to contextualize your contribution. While I am convinced of the Wisdom of the Crowds, I am not sure that an unsourced Crowd is safe and wise." Fair enough - but what Masie needs is not identity, per se, but history. Knowing a person's name doesn't tell me anything; knowing that they work for some university or knowing that they are a public relations specialist tells me a lot more. But then, once you have the history, you don't need the identity any more.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Dec 22, 2024 12:17 p.m.

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