Responsibility Infrastructure Protocol.
A founder-authored technical overview of relationships between responsibility records, evidence, verification, recognition, standing and reliance.
- Scope
- Wider RI protocol architecture
- Relationship
- Part of the RI-authored technical publications
- Interoperability
- Uses a separately defined public interoperability layer
- Technology model
- Implementation-neutral technical model
The protocol is broader than interoperable exchange.
The Responsibility Infrastructure Protocol describes the protocol-level relationships through which responsibility information can move from recorded facts and evidence to verified claims, recognised standing, resolution and external reliance.
Related RI research examines how responsibility information can be exchanged between independent parties.
Separate functions before connecting them.
Responsibility Infrastructure treats recording, verification, recognition, standing, registry, resolution and reliance as distinguishable functions. A record may exist without being verified; verification does not itself create recognition; historical recognition is not automatically current standing; and resolved standing does not remove the relying party's own authority or judgement.
- Responsibility record
- Preserves the responsibility facts and material lifecycle events relevant to a claim.
- Verification
- Determines what the available evidence supports without collapsing evidence into recognition.
- Recognition
- Determines the effect of a verified responsibility record within an applicable recognition regime.
- Standing
- Expresses the current condition that a relying party may need to resolve at the point of reliance.
- Registry
- Preserves and publishes recognised standing and its history where the applicable regime requires it.
- Resolution
- Determines which current standing corresponds to a particular reliance request.
- Reliance
- Allows an external party or system to use resolved standing within its own authority and decision context.
Standard and Protocol perform different jobs.
RI publications identify their applicable requirements and scope. Independent exchange is assessed against the requirements published for that exchange.
A claim of conformance must identify the applicable publication, role, scope and version. Compatibility with the public interoperability layer does not by itself establish conformance with the wider RI Standard or Protocol.
Responsibility information exchange.
RI research examines how responsibility information can retain its meaning when exchanged between independent systems and organisations.
Published technical materials identify their own scope, status and terms. Where a public implementation licence applies, third parties may implement independently under those terms.