Trust

by Hla Min

Updated : May 2025

Background

• Back in the days of our parents and grand parents, one is sure to get back a misplaced item.
• Ko Patrick Thein Naing remembered that his father left a hat at Rangoon Turf Club and he found it untouched on his preferred seat the next week.

• In our younger days, we were delighted to know that most doors (in some parts of Yamethin) were left open at night. It was an indication of a high level of trust among people.
• Later, we saw guarded windows and doors with multiple locks in most places. It indicated a deterioration of trust among people.

Decline / Erosion of Trust

• Trust also eroded in the USA.
  In addition to the locks, there are security cameras and recording systems to deter vandalism and thefts.
• In some places, car windows are broken to take away valuables in the car. Restaurants place signs “Do not leave valuables in your car”.
• Around the world, more people lost trust in banking corporations and investment firms after being hit by Ponzi schemes and variants.

Authentication

• The use of simple passwords has given way to longer pass phrases that are harder to crack.
• Login to computer systems prefer multi-factor authentication (e.g. bio-metrics). The computer sends back a code to be used for verification. Even then, no system that has a “back door” is safe forever. It may be safe for a specified period of time.

New View

• Companies track the activities of their employees. Essentially, no one is to be trusted fully in the modern age with a gazillion of malicious schemes.
• A different view of trust has evolved. People check feedback (e.g. on Yelp) to decide if a product or service is trustworthy. How much does an average person trust a room-sharing service or a ride-sharing service or a “friend” on an Internet Chat?