How would you test whether portable evidence lowers the cost of switching?
From MCC-001, an essay: a hypothesis, not a measurement.
The short answer
Watch what happens when a buyer changes environments. The essay proposes asking whether preserving usable access to the evidence behind its earlier delegation shortens the period of restored approvals or tighter controls, and says the link is weaker if the same restrictions persist anyway.
As published in the issue
Second, does portable evidence reduce the cost of switching? When a buyer changes environments, does preserving usable access to the evidence that supported its previous delegation policy shorten the period of restored approvals or tighter controls? If the same restrictions persist despite usable evidence, the proposed link between portability and discretion would be weaker.
The sentence above is quoted from the essay as published and is not re-written here. The essay, its date and the address it was published at are below.
Why it matters
The test names its own falsifier. If portable evidence changes nothing about how a buyer behaves after switching, the argument for portability as a competition question loses its footing.
What we measured
Nothing here was counted. The essay states this test and states that it has not run.
What the evidence shows
- Issue
- Machine Commerce Conditions: MCC-001 — September 2026
- Published
Method and reproduction
The terms
The terms this question uses are defined in the glossary.
Corrections and disputes
Corrections to this issue are on the corrections register, and this answer reads from the record rather than from a copy.