What Airbnb's Blockchain Authentication Proposal Means For Online Privacy (thestack.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Nathan Blecharcyzk, one of the co-founders at home rental platform Airbnb, has detailed the company's interest in blockchain technologies to help establish user reputation and trust. He revealed that in 2016 Airbnb would be looking into blockchain integration, or a similar distributed ledger system, to authenticate a user's reputation and establish trust on the platform. The proposal marks a potentially revolutionary step for e-commerce sites and peer opinion platforms looking to identify and filter out damaging reviews planted by competitors and trolls, or self-promoting posts which can mislead consumers. However, while protecting the integrity of some, the introduction of a blockchain-based reputation system holds a potential threat to anonymity and privacy online. A distributed and irreversible system for trust management, which stores personal data, could offer a hotbed for doxing and identity theft – and even undermine an individual's right to be forgotten.

Comments

Shocked

[DRJlaw]

I am shocked, shocked I say, that a system intended to "establish user reputation" might be incompatible with anonymity, privacy, and a right to be forgotten.

It's almost as if one is expected to build a reputation, be accountable to that reputation, and tolerate discussion of that reputation by others in order to foster relationships more wide ranging than "I know this guy" friend-of-friend contacts.

In a business where trust is a key factor, Blecharcyzk suggested that the site could require higher levels of reputation from users in order to access more exclusive types of accommodation.

Yes, because I'm not going to permit johnsmith_2016 to have the run of my (hypothetical) million dollar furnished house while I'm away for two weeks, whether AirBnB provides insurance or not. Even in a more modest place like my own, insurance is a poor substitute for damaged or destroyed items of sentimental value.