Subjective Trust Model

Definition ∞ A subjective trust model describes a system where each participant maintains their own individual assessment of the trustworthiness of other entities in a network. Unlike objective trust models based on global consensus, subjective models allow for varied and personal trust evaluations. This approach means that different nodes may have different opinions about the reliability of a particular peer. It reflects the decentralized nature of trust perception in certain distributed systems.
Context ∞ The discourse on subjective trust models often highlights their relevance in peer-to-peer networks and decentralized reputation systems. A key debate involves designing mechanisms for individual nodes to accurately update their trust assessments based on observed behavior. Critical future developments will focus on cryptographic proofs and verifiable claims to inform and refine these subjective evaluations. This model offers a more granular approach to security in environments without universal trust.