distributed immutable namespace
Adam Back
adam@cypherspace.org
Thu, 8 Mar 2001 14:10:28 -0400
On Thu, Mar 08, 2001 at 02:06:19PM +0100, Oskar Sandberg wrote:
> > 1) Public Auditability - Use Merkle Authentication Trees
> > [*] to prevent revisionism on the part of namespace
> > servers. Namespace servers publish master hashes, users
> > and namespace servers audit each others adherence to the
> > global immutable root policy.
>
> Sorry if I'm being stupid here, but what exactly is the tree
> authenticating? It seems to me that MATs need to be static, which a
> namespace would obviously not be.
You publish a list of master hashes, say one per day, each
hashing the days master and the previous days master hash.
If you care you can get the server to commit to names blind
so that you can then prove it excluded you. (eg. hash name
you would submit with random nonce, get server to sign that
random number hashed with todays master hash, then submit
the real name and nonce so the server can verify. If the
name does not show up in the next days hash tree, you have
proof that it excluded you in the form of the signed
receipt, on presentation of that receipt the server will
either add you to the current tree or be considered t ohave
cheated.
Adam