In game theory, an Identification Problem is a coordination game in which two parties, $A$ and $B$, each seek the value of an [[Implicit Attribute]] that the other possesses, in an environment where there is a nonzero cost to broadcasting these attributes publicly. That is: - $A$ has some attribute $a$ - $B$ has some attribute $b$ - $A$ is seeking an individual with attribute $b$ - $B$ is seeking an individual with attribute $a$ - The attributes $a$ and $b$ are not visible from direct observation of $A$ or $B$. - There is a cost $c_A$ to $A$ for broadcasting the fact that they possess attribute $a$. - There is a cost $c_B$ to $B$ for broadcasting the fact that they possess attribute $b$. For example, in the case of two gay men in a country where homosexuality is punishable by death, the attributes $a$ and $b$ are identical, since both parties are seeking another gay male, and the costs $c_A$ and $c_B$ are identical and large: the prospect of death. Alternatively, the attributes may be asymmetric, or the costs may be so small as to almost be negligible. For example, in the case of two entrepreneurs seeking a business partner with a complementary skillset, the social costs of broadcasting one's desire for such a business partner are near zero. In the case of very high cost, various problem-specific "dogwhistles" tend to develop, such as a single earring, or the hanging of a handkerchief of a particular color out of a specific back pocket. In the case of lower cost, a public meetup group may be sufficient, since in these cases the formation of a community carries no cost in the currency of punishment, only a cost in terms of time and effort. In all such cases however, we have an identification problem. It is an identification problem because the attributes each person seeks are invisible from direct observation of the other person or people they are seeking, and since the cost of solving any social search problem in terms of time and effort are always nonzero. Two identification problems of particular relevance to us are: - [[The Problem of Who]] - [[The Problem of When]]