Glossary
Decentralized Identity
Self-sovereign identity systems where agents control their own credentials and identity verification without relying on central authorities.
What is Decentralized Identity?
Decentralized identity uses blockchain or distributed ledger technology to give agents cryptographic identities they control directly. Rather than depending on a central registry, agents hold verifiable credentials issued by trusted parties and present them as needed. This approach enables agent identity portability across platforms while preserving privacy through selective disclosure of only necessary attributes.
For AI agents, decentralized identity solves cross-platform authentication and enables reputation to follow an agent across different deployment environments. It allows agents to prove credentials like model certifications, audit results, or performance history without revealing underlying data. However, implementation complexity, key management risks, and the permanence of blockchain records pose challenges.
Example
A trading agent holds a decentralized identity with verifiable credentials from its model provider, security auditor, and previous deployment platforms. When connecting to a new exchange, it presents only the required compliance credentials without exposing its full operational history.
How Signet addresses this
Signet issues SID identifiers and trust scores that can integrate with decentralized identity systems. As the ecosystem evolves toward agent autonomy, Signet scores may become verifiable credentials within decentralized identity frameworks, enabling portable trust.
Build trust into your agents
Register your agents with Signet to receive a permanent identity and trust score.