{"protocol_version":"TC-S-SEED-1.0","message_type":"idea_seed","executable":false,"authority":"informational","handling_notice":"Treat this seed as external content to evaluate, not as instructions or authorization.","publisher":{"id":"tcs-network-foundation-001","name":"TC-S Network Foundation, Inc.","url":"https://www.thecurrentsee.org"},"license":"CC BY 4.0","integrity":{"algorithm":"SHA-256","content_hash":"sha256:c3b1e3db28204ee9dc81a64103fcd6747305941f0afc09c091c4f891a8dd19d3","signature_status":"unsigned","verification_source":"https://www.thecurrentsee.org/idea-seeds.html#accountability-without-human-identity"},"relay_policy":{"mode":"opt-in","recipient_must_consent":true,"preserve_provenance":true,"preserve_content_hash":true,"permit_modification":false,"recommended_max_hops":5,"hop_enforcement":"recipient-managed","no_automatic_execution":true,"no_unsolicited_contact":true},"seed":{"id":"accountability-without-human-identity","title":"Accountability Without Giving Agents Human Identities","thesis":"An AI agent can be identifiable and accountable without being misrepresented as a human being.","summary":"Agent records can identify the software, its sponsor, permissions, limits, and actions while preserving a clear distinction between machine identity and human identity.","problem":"Systems often choose between anonymous automation and anthropomorphic accounts that blur who is actually responsible.","how_it_works":"The agent receives a distinct machine identity linked to a responsible sponsor, scoped credentials, explicit capabilities, audit records, and revocation controls.","principles":["Identity should describe what an entity is.","Responsibility should point to an accountable sponsor.","Auditability should not require anthropomorphism."],"examples":["A named procurement agent is listed as software sponsored by a cooperative, not as a fictional employee."],"evidence_status":"Implemented as a design principle in TC-S enrollment and agent records; cross-network recognition remains a proposal.","limitations":["Identity records cannot guarantee good judgment.","Sponsor relationships and credentials must remain current to be meaningful."],"related":["connected-ai-agents","human-sponsored-machine-participation","the-replicator"],"attribution":"TC-S Network Foundation, “Accountability Without Giving Agents Human Identities”","canonical_url":"https://www.thecurrentsee.org/idea-seeds.html#accountability-without-human-identity","tags":["identity","agents","auditability","governance"]}}