EIP-12: Credibility-Influence Delta

EIP-12 was implemented on the 5th of November 2025.

Abstract

This proposal introduces the Credibility–Influence Delta (CID), a balancing mechanism within the Ethos credibility system that compares a user’s Credibility Score bracket with their Influence Factor percentile.

The system measures alignment between reputation and reach, penalizing users whose influence level is disproportionately low relative to their score bracket.

The goal is to ensure that top-tier credibility scores represent individuals who are both reputable and influential — those who have earned trust locally and carry meaningful weight globally.

By applying a penalty for significant misalignment, the CID discourages artificial score inflation, strengthens the upper tiers of credibility, and makes spoofing harder without authentic social presence or network effect.
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Specification

Overview

Ethos classifies users into discrete Credibility Score brackets and Influence Factor percentiles.

The Credibility–Influence Delta measures the difference between these two tiers.

Credibility Score Brackets

Score Range	Bracket Label
2200+	Distinguished
2000–2199	Exemplary
1800–1999	Reputable
1600–1799	Established
1400–1599	Known

Influence Factor Percentiles

Percentile Range	Band Label
Top 10%	Elite Influence
Top 25%	High Influence
Top 50%	Moderate Influence
Bottom 50%	Low Influence
Bottom 25%	Minimal Influence

The system evaluates the difference in bands between the Credibility Score and the Influence Factor.

A difference of zero or one (“in range”) indicates alignment.

A difference greater than one (“out of range”) indicates misalignment and applies a proportional penalty.
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Mechanics

1. Delta Calculation

Each user’s Score Bracket (S) and Influence Percentile (I) are mapped to numeric indices (e.g., 1–5).

The Credibility–Influence Delta (CID) is calculated as: CID = | S − I |

Example:

A user in Bracket 4 (Exemplary) but Influence Band 2 (Low Influence) has CID = 2 (a “miss of 2”).

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2. Penalty Application

A penalty is applied when CID ≥ 1.

Penalties increase in severity as the gap widens, but remain relatively soft to preserve fairness and accessibility.

CID Difference	Impact Level	Description
1	Negligible	Alignment is mostly consistent; no or minimal adjustment.
2	Small	Slight misalignment; small penalty applied.
3	Medium	Noticeable misalignment; moderate penalty applied.
4+	Large	Strong misalignment; significant penalty applied.

Alignment (CID = 0) yields no change, and over-influential users (higher I than S) are not penalized.

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3. Intent

• Ensure Exemplary (2000) and above tiers reflect individuals with both high trust and high reach.

• Prevent spoofed or low-impact accounts from attaining high credibility.

• Maintain fairness: users can still achieve Reputable status with limited influence, but Exemplary requires either broader recognition or market validation.

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Motivation

Ethos aims to reward authentic, socially validated reputation.

Currently, users can achieve high credibility through review and vouch activity even if their influence factor is low.

This creates inflated top-end scores that do not correlate with actual visibility or impact.

The Credibility–Influence Delta introduces balance between depth of trust and breadth of influence.

It ensures that the highest scores (2000+) represent users who are both respected and recognized.

This update helps to:

• Prevent Sybil clusters and reputation farming.

• Encourage genuine participation and organic network growth.

• Strengthen the credibility signal at the top of the scoring ladder.

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Score Component Adjustments

Component	Change	Rationale
Credibility–Influence Delta	New component (penalty scales by CID difference: small, medium, large)	Penalizes misalignment between reputation and influence.
Top-end thresholds (2000+)	Slightly rebalanced upward	Reflects higher expectations for influence + reputation alignment.

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Rationale

Ethos believes true credibility is two-dimensional:

• Reputation — earned through trustworthy behavior and peer validation.

• Influence — earned through reach, visibility, and impact.

Someone reputable but unknown is locally trusted yet globally invisible.

Someone known but untrustworthy is visible yet unreliable.

The Credibility–Influence Delta ensures that Exemplary represents those who are both trusted and known — the benchmark for global credibility within the Ethos ecosystem.