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SSI Trust Model

SSI completely changes the paradigm of online data sharing and brings it closer to the physical world. There are three entities in the VC trust model:

  • the issuer that issues the credential
  • the holder that is the owner and subject of the credential
  • the verifier that receives and verifies the credential

VC

SSI Trust Model (image source).


As seen in the image above, the issuer is the entity that issues VC to the holder whom the VC is, in most cases, about. The holder can present the VC to the verifier, who verifies the validity of the VC and checks if it meets the established criteria.

For example, the government issues Alice's ID card as a VC. Alice is the holder of the VC. Alice wants to buy alcohol at the local convenience store. Alice has to prove that she is 18+ and does so by presenting a VP, which she generates using her VC. The convenience store then verifies if Alice's VC is valid and if she is indeed older than 18.

How can the convenience store verify the validity of the VC? It's simple. When the government issues a VC, they attach and sign the credential with their Public DID, which must be registered on a blockchain. When the convenience store wants to verify the authenticity and validity of the VC and its proof, they can check the DID and its associated public key on the blockchain to see who issued it and verify the digital signature without contacting the issuing entity. DIDs enable VCs to be verified anywhere, at any time.

Sounds great! But how can we use VCs?​

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to use and manage VCs. More or less, all current solutions require users to install an additional mobile application or use another specific platform. But this is a significant flaw in the user experience. Using a different application or service might burden most users who have yet to come to grips with the most basic web3 applications and wallets. That's where we ask ourselves: is adding support for DIDs and VCs to a massively adopted and easy-to-use snap possible?