The Global Internet Trust Register, 1999 Edition

reviewed by Bob Bruen

by Ross Anderson et al. MIT Press 1999.
174 pages. Appendix. Bibliography. $24.95.
ISBN 0-262-51105-3.

Firing another volley in the struggle to keep the net free and open, Anderson and company have published the second version of a list of over a thousand PGP keys and their owners. Printing this information on paper insures that freedom of speech/press protects the contents even as governmental bodies seek to put a muzzle on these rights on the net. The Global Trust web site is at:

http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/Research/Security/Trust-Register

The key listings are broken up into several chapters:

certification authorities in chapter 2
EDI Keys (only two) in chapter 3
CERTs in chapter 4
other institutional keys in chapter 5
individual keys (the vast majority) in chapter 6
medical keys in chapter 7

Levels of trust are represented by a letter designation (A, B, C, D):

(A) based on whether one the authors know the person
(B) if the information has been verified with passports or certificates, or a recommendation from an (A) level.
(C) if the email address can be bound to the key or or a recommendation from an (B) level.
(D) no reason exists not to believe the key is associated with the person, but no other verification exists either.

Chapter 1 is a brief statement on what the Global Trust Register is and why crypto is important for people using the net. The Appendix is a more detailed look at the issues with explanations of the some of the serious problems such as revocation.

The Global Internet Trust Register represents an important measure to keep freedom alive as the world gets connected rather than to cede the new technology to the old ways of oppression. The nature of the net along with powerful PCs and Open Source software are basic building blocks for the way we will all live in the next century. The game is afoot. Everything we do either helps to open up or close down the freedom to think and communicate with others. I recommend supporting efforts like this one.