>There's not need to prove to anyone that someone else doesn't have the same number as you, I have no idea where this is coming from. How can you trust an iden

>There's not need to prove to anyone that someone else doesn't have the same number as you, I have no idea where this is coming from. How can you trust an identity, if anyone can claim that identity? You said that you could know that you were connecting to your bank's website because it would present you with a proof that it controls a particular identity. Now, I am assuming that you mean a proof of "exclusive control", because unless something has exclusive control over an identity, there isn't really any way to know that some other entity isn't controlling the identity (which would violate your argument's conditions). I maintain that there is no proof of exclusive control, as there is no way to know you (or someone else) has exclusive knowledge of the appropriate numbers.