Distributed support for public and private accountability in digital ecosystems
Paul Malone, Brendan Jennings · 2009
Digital ecosystems are distributed software environments through which organisations can seamlessly access customised, potentially disposable, services to aid them carry out a myriad of tasks. Peer to peer networks are often cited as a suitable platform for digital ecosystem deployment. A typical feature of such systems is the lack of a point of control. In this regard these are untrusted environments. This lack of trust acts as a barrier to commercial applications emerging on these platforms. Suitable mechanisms for identity, authentication and trust evolution are required to overcome this. This paper provides a model for distributed accountability in digital ecosystems which can strengthen the trust in the system both from a external viewpoint (i.e. the system as a whole) and between individuals within the system.