Trusted Computing Platforms: TCPA Technology in Context

Why Are Trusted Platforms 'Trusted'?

This section attempts to give a succinct analysis of trust, including consideration of both behavioral and social components. (Further discussion of the nature of trust may be found in Appendix B.) This provides important context for explaining the sense in which TCPA provides trust mechanisms.

Trust: A Complex Notion

Pinning down the meanings of many words can be difficult. Trust is particularly tricky because it is not a simple notion. Typically, we think in terms of Entity A trusting Entity B for something, which is complex for the following reasons (among others):

Not always transitive: If A trusts B and B vouches for C, does A trust C in this case? In other words, is trust a transitive notion? The answer ...