Linked Verifiable Presentation

The Linked Verifiable Presentation specification defines a standardized way to publicly share and discover Verifiable Credentials through DID Documents. Developed by the Decentralized Identity Foundation, this standard enables organizations and individuals to link verifiable data to their Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs), making it discoverable and accessible through public channels.

Unlike private credential exchange protocols like DIDComm or OIDC4VC, this specification focuses on public sharing scenarios while maintaining security and privacy considerations. It allows DID controllers to publish credentials that can be verified by anyone who discovers them through the DID document's service endpoints.

Key features include:

• Support for both JSON-LD and JWT presentation formats
• Cryptographic verification of linked presentations
• Integration with existing DID Document service endpoints
• Selective disclosure capabilities
• Privacy-preserving design principles

Purpose and Scope

The standard aims to:

• Enable public discovery of verifiable data linked to DIDs
• Provide a standardized mechanism for publishing credentials
• Support business use cases requiring public credential verification
• Complement existing private credential exchange protocols

Technical Specifications

Required components:

• LinkedVerifiablePresentation service endpoint in DID Document must include:
  • id: Valid URI conforming to RFC3986
  • type: Must be "LinkedVerifiablePresentation"
  • serviceEndpoint: URL or array of URLs pointing to presentation resources

Supported formats:

• JSON-LD presentations
• JWT encoded presentations
• Hashlink-protected presentation URLs

Implementation Requirements

1. DID Controllers must:

   • Cryptographically sign all linked presentations
   • Include proper service endpoints in DID Documents
   • Ensure presentation URLs are accessible

2. Verifiers must:

   • Validate presentation signatures
   • Verify credential chains
   • Check presentation expiration dates
   • Perform additional interactive verification when needed

Security Considerations

Critical security features:

• Mandatory cryptographic signatures
• Support for presentation expiration
• Hashlink protection for content integrity
• Issuer constraint validation
• Selective disclosure mechanisms

Interoperability Features

The standard supports:

• Multiple presentation formats
• Integration with existing DID methods
• Compatibility with W3C Verifiable Credentials
• Standard service endpoint discovery

Current Adoption Status

The specification is currently a DIF Ratified Specification, with active participation from:

• Identinet
• Aviary Tech
• Danube Tech

The standard is being implemented across various digital identity solutions focusing on public credential verification use cases.