That is a solid question. The optimist in me says 'well if the private key is leaked we're in about the same spot we are now with SSNs'. Every other part of me

That is a solid question. The optimist in me says 'well if the private key is leaked we're in about the same spot we are now with SSNs'. Every other part of me just cries. In regards to "which version do we trust if a new key has been issued?": My gut says there would need to be a centralized system to for which ones have been voided, and which ones haven't. At that point what we're doing is making SSN's that we can invalidate, with the added disadvantage of being much more confusing to work with. I have no idea what the right answer is, but Aunt Claire is (possibly) in need so we need to figure this out fast.