Incentive-based Cyber Trust

Many problems in cyber trust exist at least partially because the people and institutions involved are not properly motivated to solve them. The incentives are often perverse, misaligned, or missing. By improving economic, social, and personal incentives, cyber trust can be significantly improved. The incentive-based approach is based on modern enterprise risk management methods and experiences. Incentive-based cyber trust includes usability, risk information systems, risk communications, social knowledge, markets, and incentive instruments, along with enabling technology and a supporting legal/ regulatory/institutional framework. While there is research underway into these problems, it is not happening on sufficient scale, scope, or timeframe necessary to deliver breakthrough commercial solutions soon enough. We propose an initiative to drive breakthroughs for incentive-based cyber trust. An initiative will mobilize more resources (money and people) and create new synergies between existing academic disciplines, institutions, consortia, and interest groups. Most important, it will create a critical mass of the brightest thinkers across the globe, provide platforms for collaboration and innovation, and set bold, motivating goals and targets.