A decentralized identity system lets people control and manage their identities without depending on a central authority. It replaces organization-owned accounts with credentials that individuals hold and choose to share. section 2.5.3 section 2.2.4
Trusted parties issue credentials, holders keep them in cryptographic wallets, and relying parties verify them cryptographically. No single organization determines which credentials exist, which credentials people hold, or which credentials a relying party accepts. section 2.5.3
The model changes identity and authorization responsibilities:
- Give individuals choice over when and how identity information is shared, supporting consent and privacy. section 2.2.4 section 2.5.3
- Let organizations evaluate portable attestations from employers, certification bodies, customers, clinics, manufacturers, and other trusted issuers. section 16.0
- Use decentralized trust frameworks so relying parties can recognize credible issuers without creating agreements with every issuer. section 2.5.3
Contractor authorization without a new account
An authorization system can ask whether trusted issuers attest that a contractor has the attributes required for an action, rather than checking whether the organization maintains a local record. This supports contractor access, supplier trust, professional credentials, and governed emergency access without importing every external identity record or maintaining every external directory. section 16.0
