Hi,
I think the solution is to - GOING FORWARD - disallow creation of new AS-SET objects which follow the 'short' naming style.
The advantage of hierarchical naming is that the existing authorization rules as applied by the RIPE Whois Server database engine do a decent job of protecting/separating namespaces. 'Grandfathering' existing short-named objects ensures that implementation of this solution proposal causes minimal (if any) disruption to existing workflows.
The RIPE database engine blocking creation of short-named AS-SETs might help nudge the industry towards making hierarchical naming the norm.
+1 This step will gradually improve the reliability of the database by preventing fake or misleasing short names to be created. It won’t solve existing problems, but that is something that we can look at later. First let’s implement this initial step to avoid the “dweilen met de kraan open” (*) scenario. Let’s close the tap first. Cheers, Sander (*) literally: mopping with the tap running