The Trust System

Bitcointalk's trust system is its most important defensive layer. It's also its most misunderstood. Most newcomers think it works like Reddit upvotes. It doesn't.

The three kinds of feedback

When someone leaves you trust feedback, it comes in three flavors:

• Positive (green) — "I had a good experience with this user."
• Neutral (grey) — "I have something to note about this user (positive, negative, or informational) but it's not strong enough to be positive/negative."
• Negative (red) — "I had a bad experience or have strong evidence this user is unsafe."

Every feedback should include:

• A reference (link to thread, screenshot, or transaction)
• A specific reason

Feedback without evidence often gets challenged and removed.

How it appears

Your default view shows feedback from people in your default trust list (DT) and the people they trust. Random anonymous accounts' feedback is not shown unless you opt in to broader views.

This means:

• A DT user's negative feedback on you is visible to almost everyone
• A random newbie's negative feedback on you is invisible by default
• The system is designed so trust signal compounds through known-good accounts

What red trust does to you

A documented red trust from a DT member:

• Shows on your profile to most viewers
• Often gets corroborated by other DT members reviewing the case
• Effectively ends your earning capacity (signature campaigns, services, escrows)
• Cannot be removed by complaint — only by resolving the underlying issue

What positive trust earns you

Positive trust from active DT users signals safety to other DT users. After 5-10 well-documented positives, you become a low-friction counterparty — people will accept trades from you with less hesitation.

It compounds slowly. There's no shortcut.

Your trust list

Your "Trust list" is who you trust. By default, you trust DT. You can:

• Add specific users to your trust (positive)
• Add specific users to your distrust (negative — their feedback won't show to people who use your list)
• Customize what feedback you see when reading other profiles

For newcomers, leave it on default. Curating a trust list is a long-game activity.

How to leave good trust feedback