Collaborative Research: CT-ISG: Agent-Based Trust Management for Trust Re-Evaluation in Online Auctions

电子商务在美国经济中发挥着重要作用。然而，目前的电子商务应用，如在线拍卖系统是不值得信赖的，由于缺乏有效的信任管理机制。一个可信的网上拍卖系统需要一个动态的信任管理系统，能够实时地发现异常的竞价行为，通知相关用户，并立即取消相应的拍卖，本项目研究了一种基于代理的网上拍卖动态信任管理方法。该方法支持实时监控、分析和检测在线拍卖系统中的异常竞价行为，从而保证了系统的可信性。在这个项目中要解决的具体问题包括：1）调查有效的形式化方法，如模型检查技术，用于分析实时拍卖数据; 2）定义一个实时的信任模型，支持信任重新评估;和3）制定智能代理，支持推理的不确定性和不完整的信息。研究活动将导致一个松散耦合的基于代理的信任管理（ATM）模块在网上拍卖系统。该项目将对可信计算研究、教育以及工业应用产生更广泛的有利影响。该项目的成果将有助于开发可靠的电子商务系统，并将通过为基于互联网的交易提供安全和可信的环境，促进美国经济的发展。

Electronic commerce plays an important role in the US economy. However, current electronic commerce applications such as online auction systems are not trustworthy due to a lack of effective trust management mechanisms. A trustworthy online auction system requires a dynamic trust management system that can detect abnormal bidding activities in real-time, notify the involved users, and cancel the corresponding auction immediately.This project investigates an agent-based approach for dynamic trust management in online auctions. The approach supports real-time monitoring, analyzing, and detection of abnormal bidding behaviors in online auction systems so the trustworthiness of such systems can be ensured. Specific problems to be addressed in this project include 1) investigating efficient formal methods, such as model checking techniques, for analysis of real-time auction data; 2) defining a real-time trust model that supports trust re-evaluation; and 3) formulating intelligent agents that support reasoning with uncertainty and incomplete information. The research activities will result in a loosely coupled agent-based trust management (ATM) module in online auction systems. The project will have favorable broader impacts on trustworthy computing research, education, as well as industrial applications. The results from this project can help to develop trustworthy systems in electronic commerce, and will contribute to boost the US economy by providing a safe and trusted environment for Internet-based trading.