A walled medieval city at dusk seen from slightly above, gates standing open, lantern-lit lanes, guild banners hanging from timbered houses, small figures greeting one another at the gate and leaning from windows to watch a lone stranger in the lane. One long section of the city wall has been replaced by an incongruous row of sleek modern turnstiles and a faint blue-glowing server cabinet.

The trouble with calling it zero trust

A medieval city was never secured by its wall alone. It had guilds that vouched for their members, letters of introduction carried from town to town, gate guards who knew faces, innkeepers who noticed accents, and neighbours who registered a stranger in the lane before any official did. The wall was one instrument amon…

July 20, 2026 · 11 min