Trust

Trust is the computed half of the World Skills Protocol: Evidence Is Produced. Trust Is Verified. Opus X computes it deterministically from the immutable facts bound to a professional's Opus ID, interpreted against a published Framework version. It is never asserted or bought — it is reproducible from unchanging inputs and recomputable as frameworks evolve, which is what separates WSP from reputation systems.

Canonical Definition

Trust is the deterministic, reproducible computation performed by Opus X over the Immutable Facts bound to a professional's Opus ID, interpreted against the applicable Framework version, exposed as Trust Status and inspected through Verification — never asserted, and always recomputable from unchanged facts.

Key Facts

  • —Trust is designed to be deterministic, reproducible, recomputable against Framework versions, and strictly a function of accumulated facts.
  • —The central tension is between stability and evolution: verifiers want a stable answer, yet meaning improves over time.
  • —WSP resolves this through recomputation against versioned Frameworks — the facts are stable, the interpreting version is explicit, and the computed Trust is reproducible for a given version.
  • —A second tension is between richness and verifiability: Trust could incorporate many signals, but WSP restricts its inputs to verifiable Immutable Facts and published Framework meaning so that the result stays reproducible.

Why It Exists

Reputation is an opinion; it can be manufactured, bought, or drifted. WSP needs something a verifier can rely on without trusting the asserter — a value that can be independently reproduced. Trust exists to be that: a function of immutable facts and published Framework meaning. Because the inputs cannot change and the function is deterministic, any party can, in principle, reproduce the computation and get the same answer. This is why WSP forbids asserting trust: an asserted value is unverifiable, and unverifiability is the failure the protocol exists to eliminate.

How It Works

Trust comprises a computation function, its inputs (the Immutable Facts bound to an Opus ID), and its interpretation (the applicable Framework version). Its output is a computed state exposed as Trust Status.

Trust does not comprise stored opinions, issuer-set values, or non-fact signals. The relations: Trust consumes Immutable Facts; Trust is interpreted against a Framework version; Trust is exposed as Trust Status; Verification inspects Trust. No relation lets Trust be authored directly or an Issuer set a value.

Actors

Trust consumes Immutable Facts (OCR-114) and Evidence (OCR-110). It is interpreted against a Framework (OCR-115) resolved via the Framework Registry (OCR-119). It is exposed as Trust Status (OCR-106). It is inspected by Verification (OCR-107), answering a Verification Request (OCR-108) with a Verification Response (OCR-109). It is computed_for an Opus ID (OCR-104). It is part_of the World Skills Protocol (OCR-100).

Lifecycle

  1. 01Accumulation — Immutable Facts bind to an Opus ID.
  2. 02Interpretation — the applicable Framework version is determined.
  3. 03Computation — Trust is computed deterministically over facts under that interpretation.
  4. 04Exposure — the result is exposed as Trust Status.
  5. 05Inspection — verifiers inspect Trust through Verification.
  6. 06Recomputation — on Framework version change or fact supersession/revocation, Trust is recomputed.

Examples

  • ·Trust for an Opus ID is computed from three bound facts under wtr v1.0.0; a verifier reproduces the computation and obtains the same result.
  • ·wtr publishes v1.1 refining a level's meaning; Trust is recomputed from the same facts and updates deterministically.
  • ·A fact is revoked; Trust recomputes without it, and the change is reproducible.

Counter Examples

  • ×A star rating an Issuer assigns — asserted, not computed; not Trust.
  • ×A reputation accumulated from social endorsements — not a function of Immutable Facts.
  • ×A trust value pasted into a profile — Trust is never authored directly.
  • ×A leaderboard ranking — Trust is a verifiable state, not a competitive ranking.

Distinctions

Trust is often confused with reputation; reputation is asserted socially, Trust is computed from facts. It is assumed an Issuer can grant trust; Issuers produce facts, not trust. It is assumed Trust is a fixed number; it is recomputable against Framework versions. It is assumed Trust and Evidence are interchangeable; Evidence is input, Trust is output.

FAQ

What is Trust?
A deterministic computation over Immutable Facts bound to an Opus ID.
Is it asserted?
No — never; it is computed.
What are its inputs?
Immutable Facts bound to the subject.
How is meaning applied?
Via the applicable Framework version.
Is it reproducible?
Yes; identical inputs and version give the same result.
Is it recomputable?
Yes, when Framework meaning changes.
Can an Issuer set trust?
No.
Can Opus X author a trust value?
No, only compute it.
Is it reputation?
No.
How is it exposed?
As Trust Status (OCR-106).
How is it inspected?
Through Verification (OCR-107).
What happens on revocation?
Trust recomputes without the revoked fact.
Can facts be changed to change trust?
No; facts are immutable.
Does it consume non-fact signals?
No.
Is it a leaderboard?
No.
Who computes it?
Opus X.
What is it computed for?
An Opus ID.
Can an AI invent a trust value?
No.
Why forbid assertion?
Because an asserted value is unverifiable.
What makes it trustworthy?
Immutable inputs plus deterministic, reproducible computation.

Related Entities

Normative Sources

OCR-100 World Skills Protocol · OCR-104 Opus ID · OCR-106 Trust Status · OCR-107 Verification · OCR-108 Verification Request · OCR-109 Verification Response · OCR-110 Evidence · OCR-114 Immutable Fact · OCR-115 Framework · OCR-119 Framework Registry.

View the Trust Registry Entry