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Guide to becoming a verifier

Becoming a verifier is an integral aspect of digital trust ecosystems, enabling services to leverage digital credentials issued by trusted entities and held by individuals or organizations. By implementing verification capabilities, services can enhance security, streamline processes and improve user experiences while maintaining privacy and control for credential holders. The following steps provide a guide to becoming a verifier, but remember that this is not a one-size-fits-all approach. You may need to adapt these steps to your specific needs and the process is often iterative rather than strictly linear.

1. Identify your verification use case​

This involves analyzing your current processes, understanding your specific needs and identifying where digital credential verification can add the most value.

Things to consider:

  • Review existing processes that could benefit from digital credential verification
  • Identify pain points in current identity or attribute verification methods
  • Take a step back and consider your ecosystem, understanding your needs and how digital credentials fit within it
  • Evaluate which existing credentials would be most valuable to verify within your use case
  • Consider whether your use case requires existing credentials or if you need to work with a potential issuer to create new ones

Resources:

  • Ideation Workshop: A structured approach to help you brainstorm and refine your verification use case.
  • Examples of digital credentials: Real-world scenarios demonstrating successful implementation of digital credential verification.
  • Ecosystem builder: Build an ecosystem map to visualize and understand how key actors, credentials and experiences in your use case fit within a digital trust ecosystem.

2. Select your experience pattern​

Experience patterns define how users will interact with your verification system. Choosing the right pattern based on user needs and value add ensures a smooth integration of verification into your service.

Things to consider:

  • Understand common experience patterns and their use cases
  • Align the chosen pattern with your service's requirements and user needs
  • Review the governance framework associated with your chosen solution

Resources:

3. Define your credential scheme and presentation requests​

Schemas and presentation requests determine what data you'll verify and how. This step is crucial for ensuring you collect only necessary information while preserving user privacy.

Things to consider:

  • Determine whether your use case will rely on existing credentials or require new ones
  • Align with existing credential schemas where possible
  • Implement privacy-preserving techniques such as selective disclosure, zero-knowledge proofs, and predicates
  • Ensure your requests align with issuer governance frameworks
  • Request only information that is strictly necessary for your service

Resources:

4. Review relevant governance frameworks​

Governance frameworks provide the rules and standards for digital credential ecosystems. Aligning with these frameworks ensures your verification process is compliant and interoperable.

Things to consider:

  • Identify applicable regulations (e.g., privacy laws, industry standards)
  • Review existing governance frameworks for digital credentials in your domain
  • Consider how governance requirements might impact your verification process

Resources:

5. Map Service and User Journeys​

A clear ene-to-end service and user journey is essential for a seamless verification experience. This step involves visualizing how verification will fit into your users' interactions with your service.

Things to consider:

  • Analyze your current user journey and identify where verification fits
  • Consider the impact on user experience when transitioning to digital credentials
  • Evaluate how verified data can streamline or eliminate existing steps in your digital service
  • Plan for user education and support during the transition
  • Consider multi-channel approaches (mobile, desktop, phone, in-person, paper, etc.)
  • Be aware that BC Wallet and credentials for individuals are currently only available via smartphone
  • Note that services relying solely on digital credentials may impose accessibility constraints

Resources:

6. Choose your tech stack​

The technology you choose will form the foundation of your verification capabilities. This decision impacts everything from implementation ease to long-term maintenance.

Things to consider:

  • Evaluate options based on your existing systems, resources and requirements
  • Consider your longer-term vision for using digital credentials
  • Evaluate trade-offs between a quick MVP implementation and a more substantial upfront investment supporting future phases

Resources:

7. Develop and test your verification system​

Building and rigorously testing your system ensures it functions correctly and securely. This phase is critical for identifying and resolving issues before launch.

Things to consider:

  • Develop a comprehensive testing strategy
  • Create test credentials for end-to-end verification testing
  • Perform security audits to ensure system integrity
  • Consider implementing read receipts and problem reports, especially when used with BC Wallet
  • Based on credential information and mobile device security, consider additional steps to satisfy business needs and mitigate risks

Resources:

8. Plan your rollout and user support strategy​

A well-planned rollout and robust support system are key to successful adoption. This final step prepares you to launch your verification capabilities and support your users effectively.

Things to consider:

  • Design a phased rollout, starting with a controlled group if possible
  • Establish monitoring and logging systems
  • Develop ongoing maintenance and update procedures
  • Create user support materials and channels

Resources:

  • Support Model: understand existing support mechanisms and build out model for use case.
  • Metrics for success: Define how to measure the success of your digital trust project.

Get Help​

Becoming a verifier can be a complex process and you may need additional support along the way. Our Digital Trust team is here to help you navigate this journey.

To get additional guidance and support, please contact the Digital Trust team at DITrust@gov.bc.ca. We're ready to assist you with any questions or challenges you may encounter during your process in becoming a verifier.