Verification
Verification is where the World Skills Protocol's promise Trust Is Verified becomes a concrete answer. It inspects the immutable facts bound to a professional's Opus ID, recomputes their integrity, applies the current framework version, and respects disclosure — producing a reproducible result that needs no issuer online and never alters a fact.
Canonical Definition
Verification is the non-mutating act, performed in response to a Verification Request, of inspecting the Immutable Facts bound to a subject's Opus ID — recomputing their integrity, applying the applicable Framework version, and respecting disclosure — to produce a reproducible, issuer-independent Verification Response.
Key Facts
- —Verification is designed to be reproducible, issuer-independent, disclosure-respecting, and non-mutating.
- —The central tension is between completeness and privacy: a verifier wants full information, the professional controls disclosure.
- —WSP resolves this by scoping every Verification to the professional's consent, returning only disclosed facts.
- —A second tension is between freshness and reproducibility: a Response is computed at a point in time under a specific Framework version, so it is both fresh and reproducible when the inputs and version are pinned.
Why It Exists
Immutable facts and computed trust are only useful if someone can inspect them and get a reliable answer. Verification exists to be that inspection — one that a verifier can perform without trusting the presenter and without depending on the Issuer's survival. Naive "verification" that trusts a supplied credential or a presenter's assertion reintroduces exactly the custodial failure WSP eliminates. Verification instead recomputes integrity and reads immutable facts, so its answer is reproducible and independent.
How It Works
A Verification comprises a subject (Opus ID), a disclosure scope from consent, the inspected Immutable Facts, the integrity recomputation, the applicable Framework version, and the computed Trust. Its output is a Verification Response.
It does not comprise writes, fact production, or trust authoring. The relations: a Request initiates a Verification; the Verification inspects Immutable Facts, recomputes Integrity, applies a Framework version, and produces a Response. No relation mutates a fact.
Actors
Verification is initiated by a Verification Request (OCR-108) and produces a Verification Response (OCR-109). It inspects Immutable Facts (OCR-114) and recomputes Evidence Integrity (OCR-113). It applies a Framework version (OCR-115) via the Registry (OCR-119). It reads Trust (OCR-105) / Trust Status (OCR-106) for an Opus ID (OCR-104), respecting the Passport (OCR-101). It is part_of the World Skills Protocol (OCR-100).
Examples
- ·An employer verifies a candidate's disclosed facts months after the Issuer closed; integrity recomputes and the answer is the same.
- ·A verifier requests a scope wider than consent permits; the Verification returns only disclosed facts.
- ·A previously verified fact is revoked; a fresh Verification reflects the revocation.
Counter Examples
- ×Accepting a presenter's PDF credential at face value — not Verification; nothing is recomputed.
- ×Calling the Issuer's API to confirm — reintroduces issuer dependence; Verification is issuer-independent.
- ×Returning withheld facts because the verifier asked — violates disclosure.
- ×A verification that writes a log entry into the fact store — Verification does not mutate facts.
Distinctions
Verification is often assumed to mean "check with the issuer"; it recomputes over immutable facts instead. It is assumed to prove real-world truth; it confirms integrity, attribution, disclosure, and computed trust. It is assumed to produce a permanent credential; it produces a point-in-time answer. It is assumed to see everything; it sees only disclosed facts.
FAQ
- What is Verification?
- The non-mutating inspection of a subject's facts and trust to answer a request.
- Does it contact the Issuer?
- No; it is issuer-independent.
- Does it mutate facts?
- No.
- Does it recompute integrity?
- Yes.
- Does it respect disclosure?
- Yes; only disclosed facts.
- Does it reflect revocation?
- Yes.
- Is it reproducible?
- Yes, for pinned inputs and version.
- What starts it?
- A Verification Request (OCR-108).
- What does it return?
- A Verification Response (OCR-109).
- Does it prove truth?
- No; it confirms integrity and computed trust.
- Can it exceed consent?
- No.
- What if the request is unauthorized?
- It is refused without leaking withheld data.
- Which Framework version applies?
- The applicable one, explicitly.
- Does it depend on Issuer uptime?
- No.
- Is the Response permanent?
- No; it is point-in-time.
- Who can verify?
- Any authorized verifier within disclosure scope.
- Does it see withheld facts?
- No, nor their existence.
- Can an AI verify?
- Yes, following the procedure, recomputing.
- What underpins its trustworthiness?
- Recomputation, immutability, issuer-independence.
- Can two verifiers disagree?
- Not for identical pinned inputs and version.
Related Entities
Normative Sources
OCR-100 World Skills Protocol · OCR-101 Professional Passport · OCR-104 Opus ID · OCR-105 Trust · OCR-106 Trust Status · OCR-108 Verification Request · OCR-109 Verification Response · OCR-110 Evidence · OCR-113 Evidence Integrity · OCR-114 Immutable Fact · OCR-115 Framework.