Anti-Corruption & Duplicity Case Studies

Type: Case study collection

Priority: 🟢 Phase 1 (Months 3–6)

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Purpose

Show where KERI becomes unavoidable — corruption detection.

Corruption Scenarios

Permit Bribery

Scenario: Official approves permits for payment under the table.

Detection Mechanisms:

• Approval patterns outside normal parameters
• Missing prerequisite verifications
• Timing anomalies (too fast, off-hours)
• Duplicity: different records shown to different parties

Procurement Kickbacks

Scenario: Purchasing agent steers contracts to favored vendor.

Detection Mechanisms:

• Bid evaluation inconsistencies
• Missing competitive bids
• Price anomalies vs. market
• Relationship patterns (always same vendor)

Vendor Favoritism

Scenario: Inspector passes unqualified work for specific contractors.

Detection Mechanisms:

• Pass rate anomalies by inspector-contractor pair
• Inspection duration outliers
• Missing documentation accepted
• Re-inspection patterns

Credential Forgery

Scenario: Someone presents fake qualifications.

Detection Mechanisms:

• Credential chain doesn’t verify
• Issuer denies issuance
• Schema mismatch
• Duplicity in claimed history

Identity Impersonation

Scenario: Someone acts as another party.

Detection Mechanisms:

• Signature doesn’t match claimed AID
• Key state inconsistent
• Witness receipts missing or forged
• Duplicity detected by watchers

KERI-Native Detection Mechanisms

Duplicity Proofs

• Same AID signing contradictory statements
• Fork in key event log
• Mathematically provable misconduct

Inconsistent Logs

• Events that don’t chain properly
• Missing sequence numbers
• Timestamp impossibilities

Missing Receipts

• Claims of witness confirmation without receipts
• Selective receipt presentation
• Receipt forgery detection

Illegitimate Delegation Chains

• Delegation from revoked AID
• Out-of-scope actions
• Broken chain of authority

For Each Scenario

Show:

1. How corruption becomes detectable — What evidence exists
2. How honest actors are protected — False accusations prevented
3. How blame is precise — Individual accountability, not collective punishment

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TODO: Write detailed case studies