Distributed support for public and private accountability in digital ecosystems

Digital ecosystems are distributed software environments through which organisations can seamlessly access customised, potentially disposable, services to aid them carry out a myriad of tasks. Peer to peer networks are often cited as a suitable platform for digital ecosystem deployment. A typical feature of such systems is the lack of a point of control. In this regard these are untrusted environments. This lack of trust acts as a barrier to commercial applications emerging on these platforms. Suitable mechanisms for identity, authentication and trust evolution are required to overcome this. This paper provides a model for distributed accountability in digital ecosystems which can strengthen the trust in the system both from a external viewpoint (i.e. the system as a whole) and between individuals within the system.