Security

Security is a big concern for Zenbu but it is a small problem.

Many people have strong concerns about a system where anybody can add or edit content, usually referencing Wikipedia which has received a lot of press around vandalised content.

The fact is that nearly all vandalised entries are quickly reverted by concerned users and almost never appear for long. Linus' Law says "given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow", meaning that a problem will be fixed quickly if there are enough people looking at it.

Unlike Wikipedia, Zenbu requires all users to be logged in to edit content. This means that every single change is tracked and attributed to a single user. If a user does turn into a bad apple, it is a simple matter to revert all their changes and ban them from the system.

We believe that more people want the information on Zenbu (or Wikipedia) to be right than wrong. Security is a big concern, so we have complete systems in place to ensure that it will never be a big problem.

We understand that some people may not be so trusting or may have listings more prone to vandalism just like in the real world. They can 'freeze' their entry and the entry will be editable only by them - see the 'freeze' link on any entry display page. Freezing costs $1 per month. Eventually frozen listings will also have access to special features, such as display of store photos.

Sidenote: Obviously the real world is no less prone to vandalism than the online world. It's just much easier to click a button and change an incorrect entry online than it is to scrub a wall of graffiti.