Kevin Hemenway's asking interesting questions about Six Apart's forthcoming TypeKey service, described by its creators as "a free, open system providing a central identity that anyone can use to log in and post comments on blogs and other web sites." We believe those that know them when they say the folks at Six Apart are good people with good intentions, which is why we're hoping the TypeKey debate won't be centered around willful abuse on the part of those fine people. The key here is that, even in the hands of a company that gets weblogs, that wants to do the right thing, centralized systems are subject to a long list of technical and social problems. Quoting Kevin:
What happens when the TypeKey server goes down? Can spammers comment, or would everyone be shut out? If 20 people report Dave Winer as an idiot, who decides whether to revoke his rights? If Kung Lui Pao Kang spams my blog, but has posted 100 valid messages elsewhere, what does that mean for my redemption?
Kevin says he won't use TypeKey. Shelley Powers, either. We're not as sure as those two, but they've definitely made us think twice.
Update: It looks like we were late to the party. Adam Gessaman's got a thoughtful piece on the larger TypeKey backlash, including a lot of links to some good discussions, and even a few answers from Six Aparters to Kevin and Shelley's questions. Wish we'd have seen this thirty minutes ago.