Creating a master database of honest traders

[shakaru]

After having seen way to many people get scammed in these past few weeks, I have been speaking with some of the long time forum members as to creating a tightly controlled list that will be hosted with all the honest trader information.

One of the problems with current honest trader post is that it is hard to navigate, starting to fill up with scammers claiming them selves as honest traders by +1'ing their other usernames.

Bitcoin OTC is difficult for new uses to both understand and use, and thus ios why it fails most users. I would say right now that very few people even know that bitcoin OTC even exist.

So right now we are taking applications for this project. To date, deslock and my self are currently drawing up a plan on how to run this site and already have some great ideas such as for in the case of solid goods, you can only get a positive rating if you provide the list managers with a copy of the tracking number. Information such as address or even the number will be kept confidential, and only used to verify that a product arrived.

In the case of non physical goods, we are trying to find a way that works such as requiring either a phone number, or other personal detail to register.

Right now we are just putting ideas together and seeing if we can put something together to help protect the people who get caught up in the scammers trap.

Pm me if you are interested.

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[NothinG]

I'm willing to code some sort of trust thing.

In order to +1, +2, or even +3 someone...
Everyone starts off with 0 trust (except the people who get it started of course).


In order to +1 someone, you need to have at least 25+ rep;
+2, 45+ rep
+3, 65+ rep
+4, 75+ rep
+5, 100 rep...

This is just my idea...
In order to -1 someone, you need to have at least 50+ rep;
-2, 75+ rep
-3, 100+ rep


[Edit]:
How should user verification works?

[shakaru]

I'm willing to code some sort of trust thing.

In order to +1, +2, or even +3 someone...
Everyone starts off with 0 trust (except the people who get it started of course).


In order to +1 someone, you need to have at least 25+ rep;
+2, 45+ rep
+3, 65+ rep
+4, 75+ rep
+5, 100 rep...

This is just my idea...
In order to -1 someone, you need to have at least 50+ rep;
-2, 75+ rep
-3, 100+ rep


[Edit]:
How should user verification works?

I like your ideas. This is probably the way we should take this, but for the time beign, I want to keep it at 2 or 3 trusted members and one website that is updated as information comes along.

For the immediate, I think we should only allow feedback onto the site based on if the op's decided this looks legit or not. Most of us here know who are trust worthy out of the people we have delt with. As far as new members, we may have to go as far as me eating the cost of a stamp and envelope and mail out a return card that must be sent back to verify.

[pekv2]

I was thinking about all of these sites being broken into. Holding viable information, how tight is the security going to be?

[shakaru]

I was thinking about all of these sites being broken into. Holding viable information, how tight is the security going to be?

Any personal information will be kept onsite, but offline. I am quite security minded and always say the best way to keep someone from getting files off your network, is not to have files on the network. The only way someone could get this, is if they knew the physical location and can also outrun a 9mm round.

[NothinG]

I think going as far as taking information about people breaks their anonymity.
I believe the users should be allowed to pick-and-choose what information they share, aside from the information already public ( http://www.whatsmyip.org/more/ ).
If you look at twitter, they have this option to allow yourself to be verified ( http://twitter.com/help/verified ).
Using an option like what twitter offers, will give a trader more credibility but not more trust.
Trust would still have to be earned through trading.

Information, if chosen to be verified, will be stored on a database (with a website) over a hidden private network (VPN, NO NOT TOR) between the site owners. In order to access the information, you'd have to get in-contact with the site-owners.
There will also be a private chat (forum, IRC...something...I don't know yet) that will let users discuss trade privately.

Ideas are still going off in my head, and the more feedback about this project the better.
Oh yeah...I'm not an artistic site designer in any way....

Development on basics (and maybe some of the advanced parts) of the site will be done over the holidays where as I will only have an iPhone with 3G for 5 days.

[zellfaze]

Rick Falkvinge (founder of Pirate Party) had an idea on how to create a distributed web of trust system somewhere.  I remember reading it once, at least I thought it was him.

I'll put some more effort into finding the URL later.  He based it off something he read in a book... but modified it some.  It sounded exactly like what we need here as a formula for something like this.