Robert D. French

WMAP

wmap.jpg

WMAP is a protocol that I am developing for trustworthy exchange of messages over the internet. You can think of it like PGP or S/MIME, but only for authentication and not for encryption.

Unlike S/MIME, WMAP signing keys don't have to be centrally issued (or escrowed!) -- they are the OpenSSH keys that you already use for GitHub! Unlike PGP, WMAP is fit for use by humans.

WMAP is not a transfer protocol, it is simply an authentication protocol. If you create a WMAP-signed file, you still need to get it to your friends via email, USB drive, steganography, etc. But once they receive it, they can verify it against the SSH public keys associated with your GitHub profile!