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From: R. Feldman
Subject: Can certificates be revoked?
Date: 13 Tevet 5782
Let the chair summarize this uncomfortable discussion.
Revocation does not erase. It withdraws.
The certificate attested that a procedure occurred. If we revoke: - The procedure still occurred - The signature was valid when made - We no longer stand behind the attestation - Relying parties are notified of the current status - Past actions taken in reliance on the certificate are not undone
The specification should distinguish: 1. Key compromise (cryptographic, not substantive) 2. Subject request (voluntary withdrawal) 3. Issuer correction (we should not have signed)
Each has different implications. Each may require different treatment by relying parties.
This is uncomfortable because it makes explicit what is usually implicit. A revoked conversion does not un-convert someone. It says: we no longer affirm what we previously affirmed. The person's status becomes uncertain, not erased.
—Yaakov Feldman, Chair
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