Skip to content

verifiable credential

Henk van Cann edited this page Dec 31, 2024 · 6 revisions

Definition

Verifiable credentials (VCs) are an open standard for digital credentials. They can represent information found in physical credentials, such as a passport or license, as well as new things that have no physical equivalent, such as ownership of a bank account.

More on source Wikipedia

VCs

W3C DID standardization

Importantly, there are VC specification that provide a mechanism to express these sorts of credentials on the Web in a way that is cryptographically secure, privacy respecting, and machine-verifiable. More

Key characteristics of VCs

Issuer: The entity that creates and issues the credential. Holder: The entity that holds and can present the credential. Verifier: The entity that checks the authenticity and validity of the credential. Tamper-proof: VCs use cryptographic techniques (like digital signatures) to ensure that the credential has not been altered since issuance. Privacy-preserving: VCs can allow the holder to disclose only the necessary information, often using selective disclosure or zero-knowledge proofs to protect privacy. Decentralized: VCs can be part of decentralized identity systems, where control over identity is more in the hands of the individual rather than centralized authorities.

Examples of verifiable credentials

A university degree issued digitally by a university that can be verified by a potential employer, a government-issued ID that can be verified by a third-party service provider, or a COVID-19 vaccination certificate that health authorities can verify.

Also see

Virtual credentials, that share a subset.

Clone this wiki locally