Monkeysphere: Fixing Authentication on the Net

Presented at The Next HOPE (2010), July 16, 2010, 8 p.m. (60 minutes).

Most modern public key infrastructure is built around notions of centralized authority, which is troublesome for those of us who want decentralized secure communications on the global network. Monkeysphere is a project to extend the OpenPGP Web of Trust into as many domains as possible, effectively supplanting hierarchical certification infrastructure like X.509, and restoring control over authentication and identification to the communications peers themselves and their own legitimately trusted introducers. Functional tools for authenticating peers over the World Wide Web and SSH have been introduced, with plans for more protocols. Come learn how the tools work, how you can take advantage of the Web of Trust in your own projects, and how you can contribute to building a more autonomous and decentralized global network.


Presenters:

  • Jameson Rollins
    Jameson Rollins is a physicist looking for the elusive gravitational wave. In his spare time, he likes to work on free software, ride his bike, and drink beer.
  • Daniel Kahn Gillmor / dkg as Daniel Kahn Gillmor
    Daniel Kahn Gillmor is a freelance technology advisor and free software developer. He participates in the Debian project with a focus on usable cryptographic infrastructure, rides bikes, cooks, and manages to stay out of trouble most of the time.

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