I started-out certifying systems as-secure as underlying parts. Using mathematical logic for autonomous protocol verification, switching to manual cryptographic techniques for better precision, with passion (but little patience) for proven secure executables, wrote best practice manuals on each.
As prerequisite, frequently pondered, what is this? For twenty-one years I've wondered about influence-freedom-legitimacy. I recently found my answer; built voting system delivering. Bigger picture, agentic DAO require strong governance controls. Now I'm thinking about organisational democracy:
Attorney-client privilege, doctor-patient confidentiality, right for spousal privacy; society needs protecting. Europe abolishing confidentiality of business dealings. America already tried. There's rumours about China/Russia. Fix: End-to-end encryption, cloud performance, hardware-based identity (BritCard compatible).
Hardware-based identity. I cut my teeth on hardware: Stealing cars without keys (on Top Gear) and unveiling anonymous trusted execution systems; early kit didn't work, modern stuff provides cryptographic guarantees, even when operators are compromised (by insiders, hackers, or simply because they're malicious criminals).
Decentralised stakeholders. David Chaum excited me about crypto, developing cryptographic fundamentals, long before their mainstream. We were trying to establish defining principles, replicating ballot-secrecy rights for digital society, creating stronger forms of legitimacy, seeking fraud eradication rather than minimisation.
My thoughts on influence-freedom-legitimacy are now ready for prime time.
End-to-end encryption. I inadvertently broke internet encryption whilst optimising for cloud performance — a complete break, I could have rewritten financial markets (only that's massively illegal, so I helped Oracle fix) — I've since helped standardise TLS, great tech, almost obsolete?
National and international tensions are simmering, cyberwarfare, espionage and criminals rampant, Siemens expects eleven trillion damage this year. "Encryption is your friend," announces US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). In wake of spies capturing secrets, "CISA strongly urges [use of] only end-to-end encrypted communications" (Dec'24). NSA infamously revealing internet encryption doesn't deliver.
I foresee Layer Zero slotting into TCP/IP, below Web 2.0 and Web3, bringing governance controls, protected by end-to-end encryption, digital society built atop, intrigued? Get in touch.
See also: Google Scholar, DBLP, AMiner, CS Authors, Semantic Scholar, ORCID