linux-kernel - Re: kernel.org status: establishing a PGP web of trust

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Message-ID: <alpine.LFD.2.02.1110060913360.18778@ionos>
Date:	Thu, 6 Oct 2011 09:30:47 +0200 (CEST)
From:	Thomas Gleixner <tglx@...utronix.de>
To:	Chris Friesen <chris.friesen@...band.com>
cc:	Adrian Bunk <bunk@...sta.de>, Ted Ts'o <tytso@....edu>,
	"Frank Ch. Eigler" <fche@...hat.com>, Valdis.Kletnieks@...edu,
	"H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@...or.com>,
	"Rafael J. Wysocki" <rjw@...k.pl>,
	Linux Kernel Mailing List <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Greg KH <gregkh@...e.de>
Subject: Re: kernel.org status: establishing a PGP web of trust

On Wed, 5 Oct 2011, Chris Friesen wrote:

> On 10/05/2011 05:57 PM, Thomas Gleixner wrote:
> > On Wed, 5 Oct 2011, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> 
> > > Or if I have to bother Linus to meet me and sign my key the next
> > > time he is here in Helsinki.
> > 
> > And how would that change the fact that your personal trust value in
> > this community is exactly ZERO?
> > 
> > As your idea of trust seems to be based on an ID card you better find
> > some other place with people who are stupid enough to believe that
> > technical measures can replace deep personal trust.
> 
> Aren't you sort of conflating personal trust with a web-of-trust?

No, I'm fighting the idiocy that people seem to believe that a web of
signed keys has any value other than technically establishing the
identity of a person.

> A web-of-trust exists simply to associate a person with a key.  It *is* a
> technical measure.  If Linus is willing to assert that Adrian's key matches up
> with Adrian-as-individual, and you trust Linus, then you should accept
> Adrian's key as valid regardless of whether or not you personally trust him.

If Linus signs his key, then all it means is that I can be sure to a
certain degree that the person who is using the key is Adrian. But
it's neither a free ticket for a k.org account nor does it have any
other meaning.

Thanks,

	tglx
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