CT-M: Theory and Practice of Accountable Systems

关于问责制的理论和实践的项目调查了信息网络的计算和社会特性，这些特性是对遵守信息使用规则和政策的情况进行可靠评估所必需的。在先前的研究中，项目领导人已经证明，在开放的信息网络中实现基本的社会政策目标将需要通过事后发现违规行为来增加对信息问责制的依赖。这种方法与网络环境中的传统策略遵从机制形成对比，传统策略遵从机制依赖于安全技术来通过拒绝对存在滥用风险的资源的访问来执行规则。因此，基于准入的制度必须辅之以基于问责制的制度。为确保问责制能够为今后的社会政策安排提供一个稳定、可靠和值得信赖的基础，必须：1）研究实际的工程方法来设计这些系统的规模，和2）制定一个理论的运作动态的问责制系统，以建立什么类型的问责制评估可以作出，当这些断言是可靠的，以及可问责系统可能具有的攻击、入侵和操纵的漏洞。关于信息问责制的关键假设是，如果人们相信他们的不遵守会被注意到，他们更有可能遵守规则（社会的或法律的）。成功地研究和开发问责制系统将最终使真实的人、社区和机构能够利用信息问责制作为实现更好的隐私和遵守其他信息使用规则的一种手段。

The project on the Theory and Practice of Accountable Systems investigates computational and social properties of information networks necessary to provide reliable assessments of compliance with rules and policies governing the use of information. In prior research, project leaders have demonstrated that achieving basic social policy goals in open information networks will require increased reliance on information accountability through after-the- fact detection of rule violations. This approach stands in contrast to the traditional mechanisms of policy compliance in network environments that rely on security technology to enforce rules by denial of access to resources at risk of abuse. So, access-based systems must be supplemented with accountability-based systems. To ensure that accountable systems can provide a stable, reliable, trustworthy basis on which to ground social policy arrangements in the future, it is necessary: 1) to research practical engineering approaches to designing these systems at scale, and 2) to develop a theory of the operating dynamics of accountable systems in order to establish what types of accountability assessments can be made, when those assertions are reliable, and what vulnerabilities accountable systems may have to attack, intrusion and manipulation. The key hypothesis to be tested regarding Information Accountability is that people are more likely to comply with rules (social or legal) if they believe that their non-compliance will be noticed. Successful study and development of accountable systems will ultimately enable real people, communities and institutions to take advantage of Information Accountability as a means of achieving better privacy and compliance with other information usage rules.