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Subject: RE: Proposed glossary definition of 'Assertion'


Marlena,

 > [Hal wrote:]
> >Should one of the definitions include the idea that the Authority is
> >considered and authoritative source of this information by 
> some set of
> >relying parties? It seems a little feeble to just say 
> "declaration" or
> >"claim being asserted". Perhaps this notion should go in the 
> Authority
> >definition?
> 
> I don't agree with this idea. On the contrary, I "assert" that
> "authoritativeness" is in the eye of the beholder.
> 
> Since I've written about this before (to the Core 
> subcommittee, see below)
> I gather that you, Hal, do not consider me authoritative on 
> this subject
> -- even though I have pushed the above assertion to you.  :-)

Yes, I remember our previous discussion and I agree that the actual way the
information in assertions gets used is a matter of local (and invisible to
SAML) policy.

However, what I was trying to get at is that it seems there is something
special about Authorities that makes them Authorities as opposed to
information sources everybody ignores. The mere fact that you bother to
obtain an assertion is suggestive that you plan to employ its contents in
some way, even if you plan to take it with a grain of salt, cross check it
against something else, etc. This would become very clear if Authorities
charged money (either by subscription or per assertion). Presumably most
people would not pay for information which they do not intend to use in any
way.

I don't think this is that vital a point. I was really trying get a sense of
the group's consensus, if any, on the idea that Authorities are somehow
special. I have no problem leaving this descriptive content out of the
definition.

Hal


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