Supporting trust decisions of holders and verifiers: a unified model of trust management in SSI

Credential exchange between holders and verifiers using Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) requires mutual trust. We investigate which acceptance criteria are necessary for both parties to ensure trust when requesting proofs and verifying presentations, highlighting how machine-readable governance can support both in their trust decisions. Our analysis of trust management approaches reveals a fragmented landscape with limited interoperability. We present a conceptual trust management model with four key segments: organizational trust, governance, authoritative data, and technical components. This model provides a unified perspective on establishing trust through interoperable, machine-readable processes, offering a shared understanding and a common language for novel trust management approaches. Finally, we discuss how bridging mechanisms like the Trust Registry Query Protocol (TRQP) could enable interoperability across different trust management systems.

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