Turning trust into science.

Food Processing, September, 2000 by Toops, Diane

Many decisions about whom to trust come down to pure intuition and clues we draw from a person's voice or body language, reports the Wall Street Journal. But in cyberspace, those clues are absent.

So how do Internet wizards build trust? By using equations and databases to create "reputation managers." Increasingly, these digital repositories, in the guise of ratings or feedback systems, will determine whom one wants to do business with. We can see it now: New titles will include vice president of virtual trust. George Orwell would have loved it.