Theory and dynamics of trust-based search
Trust is becoming a keystone for industry and society. Trust accelerates transactions in business and it ensures matched standards between seekers and providers. Finding trusted workers, partners and services is more important than ever, but web search engines are not effective at finding individuals based on trust.
We are creating a trust-based search engine that combines technological efficiency with the human inclination towards trust. It recursively harnesses the trusted contacts between individuals to build and track trust corridors: trust between two people based on a pathway of trusted connections between them. We will develop a mathematical theory of how trust trees grow and how we can traverse them.
Searching on the basis of trust will help businesses and consumers select for matched standards, integrity and reliability. It will help firms recruit the right workers and it will help citizens choose the right doctors, tradesmen and professional services. Trust-based search will create a more efficient employment market by making it easier to find work and change jobs.