Episode 470: L. Peter Deutsch on the Fallacies of Distributed Computing

Trust Issues

Trust in network communication is a complex issue, as Peter Deutsch explains, extending beyond physical networks to philosophical questions about trustworthiness. He highlights the challenges of ensuring that the parties involved in communication are trustworthy, a fallacy often assumed in distributed systems 1. The COVID era has underscored the human-centric nature of networking, emphasizing the importance of intentionality in communication 2.

The party that you're communicating with is trustworthy.

--- Peter Deutsch

Deutsch points out that while technological improvements have been made, issues like phishing and end-user malware remain significant challenges due to their high commercial costs 1.

   

Email Security

Email security presents ongoing challenges, despite advancements in encryption technologies. Peter Deutsch notes that while hop-to-hop encryption has become standard, end-to-end email security remains elusive due to business models that rely on accessing email content 3. He speculates that companies like Google may prioritize internal security over customer security, driven by incentives rather than conspiracy theories.

The greater the value of the information being transmitted and the greater the value of that information not being revealed, the greater the incentive.

--- Peter Deutsch

Deutsch suggests that the lack of built-in end-to-end encryption in major email applications could be influenced by external pressures, leaving both entities and their customers vulnerable to attacks 3.