Reputation and Privacy Issues in Distributed Computing Research Proposal

Reputation and Privacy Issues in Distributed Computing - Research Proposal Example However, researchers like Katsikas argue that the domain attained an independent identity only during the past 20 years and that there is a wide scope for further research and development (126). While current distributed models are capable of delivering high-speed, on-demand services via a shared pool of resources and can operate with minimal interaction or management, such recent advances have introduced several more dimensions into factors like privacy and data security that are critical when sharing information. Thus, distributed computing is widely regarded as a new programming paradigm that needs further research for better flexibility together with the identification and resolution of all outstanding issues related to information privacy and reputation (Katsikas 54). The proposed study aims to analyze and understand some of these issues and provide some useful solutions that may be incorporated in future implementations of distributed systems. The reasons for undertaking this r esearch and the necessity to understand this specific segment of distributed computing is elaborated in the subsequent sections. ... e element of trust that cannot be controlled by networks themselves becomes a crucial factor and is necessary for authorized and meaningful interaction among users (Hubner 195). Thus, the proper sharing of information across distributed networks is a challenge to network designers and engineers. Petkovic notes that the question of data privacy i.e., how to share information with accurate representation while maintaining privacy and designated delivery is one of the major questions currently being explored by researchers (187). While many studies have devised effective solutions that tackle privacy or reputation (trust) related issues, Subramanian argues that most of these have explored only a specific area (92). Thus, there is not much insight when it comes to evaluating both privacy and trust related methodologies that are capable of collectively solving the overall problem of proper information sharing. Questions remain on the robustness of current privacy framework and trust model s and the extent to which they can cope with a varying range of attacks. Dubitsky adds that existing techniques are not capable of utilizing any human characteristics or transcending beyond the use of trust as a validation of rules (165). The rapid surge in the use of mobile devices in distributed computing has introduced another important complexity into the equation besides raising new issues on reusable identity, ad-hoc access and transient communication. The growth of social networking over the past 5-6 years has also raised questions on the validity of identities and trust. Umar further adds that in a decentralized environment such as in distributed computing, human involvement is prone to introducing challenges in areas like human-computer interaction (HCI) (86). These