Publicly accessible VCs

Creator credentials – which are verifiable credentials (VCs) according to the recommendation of the W3C in technical terms – can be considered as digital endorsements that are issued by trusted parties and verifiable by anyone based on public key cryptography. They can include information about an individual's identity, qualifications, or other attributes, and can be presented to third parties to prove these claims.

Typically, VCs are hosted by the credential holders in dedicated SSI wallets, which are under the control of the individual or entity that holds the VC. In situations where credentials are requested, the holder can present the VC to the verifier, signing via the envelope to create a non-repudiable and verifiable consent receipt to the data sharing event. The verifier can use an own wallet to cryptographically verify the VC. It is important to understand that in most SSI models the so-called presentation and verification of VCs happens live and peer-to-peer using SSI wallet software, via a mutually authenticated channel.

If content creators or rightsholders are making claims about digital media content that is being widely published and shared online or on-chain, it would be impractical for them to provide individual presentations to peers.

To enable automated or asymmetric verification of credentials, VCs must be publicly accessible and machine readable by asymmetrical means and public and live exchanges.