Position paper
Distinguishing Verification from Endorsement
- Reference
- 1C-POS-2025-01
- Status
- Issued
- 2 October 2025
Sets out why a registry verification result should not be read as an endorsement, guarantee, or prediction of future conduct.
Position
A verification result confirms status against a recorded source as at the time of verification. It is not an endorsement of the credential holder, and it does not guarantee the holder’s future conduct.
Basis
This distinction matters because a registry record can only speak to what has been recorded and corroborated at a point in time. Conduct after that point, or facts not yet reflected in any recorded source, are outside what a verification result can establish.
Application
Relying parties are encouraged to treat a verification result as one input into their own compliance and acceptance decision, alongside their own risk assessment, rather than as a substitute for it.