Verifiable Credentials

W3C Verifiable Credentials are digital credentials that are expressed on the Web in a way that is cryptographically secure, privacy respecting, and machine-verifiable.

Roles

Holder

A role an entity might perform by possessing one or more verifiable credentials and generating verifiable presentations from them to present to a verifier. Example holders include : students.

Issuer

A role an entity performs by asserting claims about one or more subjects, creating a verifiable credential from these claims, and transmitting the verifiable credential to a holder. Example issuers include : educators.

Verifier

A role an entity performs by receiving one or more verifiable credentials, optionally inside a verifiable presentation, for processing and validating. Example verifiers include : employers.

ION

Our verifiable credentials use the ION method. ION is a is a public, permissionless, Decentralized Identifier (DID) network that implements the blockchain-agnostic Sidetree protocol on top of Bitcoin (as a ‘Layer 2’ overlay). ION anchors verifiable credentials in the Bitcoin block chain. This ensures the verifiable credentials are crytographically secure, tamper proof and immutable (cannot be changed once created). This prevents fraudulent activities or hacking a verifiable credential.

Microsoft Active Directory Verifiable Credentials

AAD Verifiable Credentials provide a cloud service for the creation, issuance and verification of verifiable credentials using the ION method. Our verifiable credentials use this service.

Mobile Wallet Application

Our verifiable credentials are stored in the Microsoft Authenticator mobile application. Holders will claim, download and install verifiable credentials in the app. Holders will also use the app to display their credentials to verifiers.