Verification Protocol

The Verification Protocol is a technical standard developed by the Accountable Digital Identity Association (ADIA) that extends the Aries Present Proof Protocol 1.0 to enable secure credential verification between parties. This protocol defines how service providers can request and verify credentials from users while maintaining privacy and security.

The protocol operates as a companion to standard Aries protocols, adding ADIA-specific operations for credential verification workflows. It enables service providers to request proof of credentials, users to consent and present proofs, and issuers to retrieve and validate credentials from secure storage.

Key features include:

• User consent management through Digital Authentication App (DAA)
• Secure credential retrieval from issuer storage
• Structured verification states and transitions
• Claim-by-claim verification capabilities
• Integration with standard DIDComm connections

Technical Specifications:

1. Purpose and Scope:

• Enables structured verification of digital credentials
• Manages consent, retrieval and presentation of proofs
• Extends Aries RFC 0037 with ADIA-specific operations

2. Key Technical Components:

• request-consent protocol for user authorization
• submit-consent flow for consent capture
• request-vc messaging for credential retrieval
• verify-vc-claims function for validation
• State management for all participants

3. Implementation Requirements:

• Must be implemented by SP Agent, Cloud Agent, and Issuer Agent
• Requires established DIDComm connections
• Must support standard Aries present-proof messages
• Must implement all state transitions

4. Security Considerations:

• Enforces user consent before credential sharing
• Validates signatures and claims
• Maintains secure state transitions
• Preserves credential confidentiality

5. Interoperability Features:

• Compatible with Aries RFC 0037 present-proof protocol
• Supports standard DIDComm messaging
• Works with multiple credential formats
• Enables cross-system verification

6. Current Status:

   Protocol is defined in ADIA specifications and implemented by certified agents in the ecosystem

The protocol enables a complete verification workflow while maintaining security and privacy through structured consent and verification processes.