Abstract: In open settings, the participants in virtual
organization are autonomous and there is no central authority to
ensure the felicity of their interactions. When agents interact in such
settings, each relies upon being able to model the trustworthiness of
the agents with whom it interacts. Fundamentally, such models must
consider the past behavior of the other parties in order to predict their
future behavior. Further, it is sensible for the agents to share
information via referrals to trustworthy agents. In this article, trust is
a bet on the future contingent actions of others" and enumerates six
major factors supporting it: (1) reputation, (2) performance, (3)
appearance, (4) accountability, (5) precommitment, and (6)
contextual facilitation.