Some of the critical components of Decentralise ID

The reason credentials have evolved as a universal mechanism for establishing real-world trust is the fundamental “trust triangle” illustrated below.

• Issuer

  • The issuers are the source of credentials - every credential has an issuer.

  • Most issuers are organisations such as government agencies (passports), financial institutions (credit cards), universities (degrees), corporations (employment IDs), churches (awards)

  • Individuals can also be issuers.

• Holder/Subject

  • Holders or subjects request credentials from issuers.

  • Issuers hold credentials in their wallets or filing cabinets, and present them when requested by verifiers. Although we most commonly think of individuals as holders, holders can also be organisations or even things (such as the registration for a car).

• Verifiers

  • It can be anyone seeking trust assurance about the holder of a credential.

  • Verifiers request the necessary credentials and follow their policy to verify their authenticity and validity.

  • For example, an airport agent will look for specific features of a passport or driver’s license to see if it is valid, then check to ensure it is not expired.