Patent ID: 8793773

Claim:
A method for providing reciprocity in a reputation system, the method comprising: responsive to receipt by a computer of a first entity of a Reputation Guarantee (“RG”) request from a second entity, creating a token in accordance with specifications set forth in the RG request and forwarding the token to the second entity, wherein the token may include reputation information developed using reputation forming information (“RFI”) of the second entity and policies concerning treatment of the RFI of the second entity, wherein the reputation information includes information about an experience of a fourth entity in performing a transaction with the second entity, and wherein the second entity is an unknown party; forwarding the token to a third entity by at least one of the first and second entities; responsive to the token received by the third entity not including the reputation information of the second entity: forwarding from the third entity to the first entity the token and an assertion request; and responsive to receipt of the token and the assertion request, forwarding by the first entity to the third entity an assertion including the reputation information in accordance with the policies concerning treatment of the RFI of the second entity.