When a credential verifies successfully, it means the credential was signed by the stated institution and has not been altered or revoked. It is a statement about authenticity and integrity, not an endorsement.
What a valid result proves
- Origin: the credential was signed with the stated institution’s private key.
- Integrity: not a single byte has changed since it was signed.
- Standing: it has not been revoked, and it has not expired or been superseded at the time of the check.
What it does not claim
Verification is deliberately narrow. A valid result does not, on its own, say anything about:
- Whether the institution is accredited or recognized in a given jurisdiction.
- The holder’s skills, character, or suitability for a role.
- Whether the institution’s decision to issue the credential was correct.
In other words, verification tells you the document is genuine and intact. It does not vouch for what the document represents. Those remain judgments for the verifier.
Why the narrow scope is a feature
A precise claim is a trustworthy claim. By proving only what the cryptography can prove, verification stays reliable and easy to reason about. It removes forgery and tampering from the equation, so verifiers can focus on the questions that genuinely require human judgment.