Received: from sog-mx-4.v43.ch3.sourceforge.com ([172.29.43.194] helo=mx.sourceforge.net) by sfs-ml-3.v29.ch3.sourceforge.com with esmtp (Exim 4.76) (envelope-from ) id 1TdOZZ-0003bt-Nc for bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net; Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:03:49 +0000 Received-SPF: pass (sog-mx-4.v43.ch3.sourceforge.com: domain of gmail.com designates 209.85.215.175 as permitted sender) client-ip=209.85.215.175; envelope-from=andyparkins@gmail.com; helo=mail-ea0-f175.google.com; Received: from mail-ea0-f175.google.com ([209.85.215.175]) by sog-mx-4.v43.ch3.sourceforge.com with esmtps (TLSv1:RC4-SHA:128) (Exim 4.76) id 1TdOZY-0008Ml-SF for bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net; Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:03:49 +0000 Received: by mail-ea0-f175.google.com with SMTP id h11so5085380eaa.34 for ; Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:03:42 -0800 (PST) Received: by 10.14.221.5 with SMTP id q5mr59810538eep.33.1354035822616; Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:03:42 -0800 (PST) Received: from momentum.localnet ([91.84.15.31]) by mx.google.com with ESMTPS id d44sm41739951eeo.10.2012.11.27.09.03.40 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=OTHER); Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:03:41 -0800 (PST) From: Andy Parkins To: bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:03:39 +0000 User-Agent: KMail/1.13.7 (Linux/3.2.0-3-686-pae; KDE/4.8.4; i686; ; ) References: In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-Id: <201211271703.39282.andyparkins@gmail.com> X-Spam-Score: -1.6 (-) X-Spam-Report: Spam Filtering performed by mx.sourceforge.net. See http://spamassassin.org/tag/ for more details. -1.5 SPF_CHECK_PASS SPF reports sender host as permitted sender for sender-domain 0.0 FREEMAIL_FROM Sender email is commonly abused enduser mail provider (andyparkins[at]gmail.com) -0.0 SPF_PASS SPF: sender matches SPF record -0.1 DKIM_VALID_AU Message has a valid DKIM or DK signature from author's domain 0.1 DKIM_SIGNED Message has a DKIM or DK signature, not necessarily valid -0.1 DKIM_VALID Message has at least one valid DKIM or DK signature X-Headers-End: 1TdOZY-0008Ml-SF Subject: Re: [Bitcoin-development] Payment Protocol Proposal: Invoices/Payments/Receipts X-BeenThere: bitcoin-development@lists.sourceforge.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.9 Precedence: list List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2012 17:03:50 -0000 On Monday 26 November 2012 22:37:31 Gavin Andresen wrote: > x509chain: one or more DER-encoded X.509 certificates that identifies > the merchant. See the "Certificates" section below for details. Personally, I'd like to see fewer implicit ties to X509. With X509 as one option. For example, I'd much prefer to see a doorway to the future left open like this: message Invoice { repeated bytes issuerIdentityType; repeated bytes issuerIdentityBytes; or similar, instead of "x509chain". In particular two additional identification types: - GnuPG (obviously) - Hash based The hash-based system would be there as a method of leveraging an existing trusted connection, without needing to get into the nitty-gritty of certificates. For example, I am paying for something on a web site; I presumably already have a secure connection that I trust to that site. That site can issue me an invoice (which is to be sent to the bitcoin client) _and_ a hash of the certificate on the same page. I trust that hash because I received it over a secure connection from a trusted source. When my bitcoin client pops up with the received invoice, it shows me the hash of the invoice, and I can be sure that it is from the web site I thought it was from. Imagine I'm a (very) small business, I have two or three customers. I want to email one of my customers an invoice. I don't want to have to get an X509 certificate, and I don't necessarily know how. However, I can ring my customer up and say "I've generated an invoice with my bitcoin client, it is hashed A7DE-521X-9977. Write that down and confirm it when you get my invoice". Alternatively, I might attach a file called invoice-A7DE-521X-9977.bitinv to a signed GnuPG email. The receipient can easily confirm I sent it because the filename must match the contents and GnuPG protects against tampering. Andy -- Dr Andy Parkins andyparkins@gmail.com