The Speed of Digital Trust
Stephen M.R. Covey had it right: “Nothing is as fast as the speed of trust.” While Covey’s book, The Speed of Trust, wasn’t speaking about the kind of trust that can come from the digital enterprise itself, his reality for self trust, relationship trust and stakeholder trust is equally true for “digital trust.” That’s the conclusion of the Digital Trust report series.  And, that’s the lesson that was taught again when Geeks.com began notifying customers that their personal and financial data may have been compromised.  (See article.)

But, it wasn’t the lesson of yet another online retailer suffering a data breach.  Geeks.com was doing the right thing by notifying customers of a possible data breach.

No, the real “fast traveling news” was the hullabaloo of questions about the Hacker Safe trustmark from ScanAlert (since acquired by McAfee) that was evident on the Geeks.com Web site.  Hacker Safe was supposed to prevent such breaches!  Is claiming trust using a trustbroker like “walking on eggshells”?  Is digital trust that fragile?

Zoom Zoom
The message of an intrusion despite the Hacker Safe trustmark moved quickly, in accordance with the realities of digital trust.  Once the original disclosure became known on computerworld.com, the news was blogged and re-blogged, questioned and highlighted as fast as Web sites and RSS feeds could go.  Sites like slyck.com, DP’s security bits, techzonez.com and others quickly relayed and replayed the story.  In some cases, fuel was added to the fire of conversation when InformationWeek reported just three days later that other “Hacker Safe” sites may also have been vulnerable to cross-site scripting.

Not Humpty Dumpty
But, other realities of digital trust have also become evident.  The latest volume in the Digital Trust series, Volume 7 on Transparency and Assurance, shows that trust, including digital trust, can be both created and destroyed.  It also reveals that digital trust is a function of both competence (including the scope and execution of the digital techniques involved) and results over time (i.e., reputation).

Volume 7 examines the ways to create, grow, convey and claim digital trust.  Using trustmarks is but one.  In fact, this volume finds that there are over 200 trustmarks, each one offering their own measure of trust, and that some can be empty or even “imaginary”!  But, some deliver real results, based mainly on a combination of competence and commitment to reputation.

ScanAlert is responding to the reports, and is using (digital) trust reinforcing measures to sustain the value and effectiveness of its trustmark.  Other (real) trust brokers operate in like fashion.  The real issue beyond whether or not the Hacker Safe emblem is supposed to protect against cross-site scripting or not, or whether Hacker Safe “should” have prevented the Geeks.com data breach, is this: How do you know if digital trust is present, and how much digital trust is delivered?

How Much Does Digital Trust Weigh?
That’s the question explored in Volume 7.  Digital trust is real, and we know it works.  So how do we measure it?  How much does it “weigh” anyhow?  Take a read of volume 7. . .