3 ms·
My understanding was that it was a fingerprint of the public key, much like an SSH fingerprint.
by thebeardisred 5y ago
My understanding was that it was a fingerprint of the public key, much like an SSH fingerprint.
- sneak 5y agoIt's specific to the two public keys involved in that conversation. It was renamed from "fingerprint" because to those unfamiliar with cryptography, "fingerprints" are things used when a crime has been committed. There was a study out some years ago that illustrated that most of the crypto jargon in use is not helpful in conveying mental models to laypeople.
- upofadown 5y agoAs much as I support the fight against crypto jargon, I don't think the term "safety number" really works for this. You don't risk a broken leg if you don't verify your safety numbers. The term "safety" is already one metaphor away from the actual issue. At least "fingerprint" directly maps to the idea of an aspect of something that relates to the identity of someone. I dunno, could you call this a "serial number"? The root problem here is that our culture does not have the idea of a cryptographic identity in the first place.