ancepsinfans on Nostr: This is a super interesting idea ...

This is a super interesting idea

quoting note1pel…ardm

Recently realized that the same tools underpinning Nostr could be used to underpin a decentralized accreditation system for businesses and professionals.

All an accreditation system really is is a reputation tracker. Is business A engaging in their business in a manner compliant with proper business practices? Is the person who is claiming to be a PHD of Physics actually a PHD of physics? Does this psychologist I'm looking to hire for my own treatment have a history of abusing patients? These kind of questions.

So, let's say someone wants to be accredited, I'm going to use Brett Weinstein as an example. He creates a private key (let's say asec and apub, 'a' for 'accrediting'), and sends a message that says simply "I am 'Brett Weinstein' ", adds his professional photo, signs it, and posts it to a bunch of relays as an identity statement. He reaches out to his professional collegues who have similarly put out an identity statement, and they put out signed recognition statements: "I approved Brett's thesis paper for his doctorate in (year)." "I taught alongside Brett between (year) and (year)" "I co-authored (research paper) in (year) with Brett" "I was in a class Brett taught in (year), he is evil incarnate and I'm woke" etc. Then whenever anyone is wondering whether or not to hire Brett for some position, or whether or not to hire him, they can just check his apub to see what his record is.

Relays could consolidate the overall scope of recognition statments they receive, generating what is essentially a score for a person, and by crawling along this web of reputational history a person can be properly recognized for who they are and what their qualifications are. The relays could stay afloat by charging a fee of a few sats for every post they receive and every call for data they get. It's at least as good a system as the current centralized one and it could be implemented at any time, with minimal development effort.