The credential trust matrix is a core aspect of the JNCTN platform. It helps users determine what information to rely on when they share and recieve credentials, based on how the credential was issued and who has reviewed it.

There are some key concepts to understand about the trust matrix:

• An authority is an organization that owns a specific type of credential that only they (and those they delegate) can issue. The authority and those it delegates are the only organizations that can fully verify a credential and prove it is trustworthy. A credential is verified by an authority using a digital signature.
• A credential is self-issued if it was created directly by a user themselves rather than a trusted authority. Self-issued credentials have an unverified trust level by default.
• A credential is shared when a user decides to share one or more of the credentials in their wallet with an organization. The organization receives a copy of these credentials and can then track the level of trust that credential has in their organization.

There are three distinct trust levels a credential can have within JNCTN:

Trust Level	Meaning
	This trust level indicates that the credential was self-issued by a user and has not been verified by any authority
	This trust level indicates that an unverified credential has been shared with an organization and that they have reviewed the credential and decided to trust it for use within their organization. This trust level only applies to the organization: the global trust level of the credential remains unverified and it will not be automatically trusted by other organizations.
	This trust level indicates that the credential was issued by an authority that is trusted globally and that the credential can be verified.