!!! Overview [1]
[{$pagename}] ([MSI]) emphasizes [relationships] instead of [identifiers]. 


[{$pagename}] allows multiple [credentials] from multiple [Identity Provider (IDP)] to be brought to bear, flexibly and conveniently, in a situation where trusted attestations are needed for the participants in a workflow to make progress. 

[{$pagename}] has three [Actors]: Any person or organization can play any or all of the roles.

* [Credential Service Providers] determine what [credentials] to issue, what the [credential] means, and how they'll validate the information they put in the [credential].
* [Credential Holder] - determine what [credentials] they need and which they'll employ in workflows to prove things about themselves.
* [Credential Verifiers] determine what [credentials] to accept and who to [trust].
Any [person] or [Organizational Entity] can play any or all of the roles.

Because of these features, [{$pagename}] provides a [Decentralized Identity]. In contrast, traditional identity systems have a single [Identity Provider (IDP)] who administers an identity system for their own purposes, determines what [attributes] are important, and decides which partners can participate.

[{$pagename}] implies a particular [credential] is not intrinsically [true]. Rather each [verifier] determines who and what they will [trust] by relying on the attestations of other parties. Thus, truth is established through a preponderance of [evidence]. How much [evidence] is needed for a situation depends on the [risk], something the [verifier] determines independently.


[Identifiers] still exist, but they're not the primary focus. In [Sovrin], each [relationship] is represented by a pairwise, [pseudonymous] identifier exchange. These identifiers are linked to public-private key pairs so that each [relationship] can be validated by either party and supports private, [confidential] communications between the parties to the [relationship].

Online identity has traditionally been __single-source__ and built for specific purposes. Online, various, so-called "[identity providers|Identity Provider (IDP)]" authenticate people using usernames and passwords and provide a fixed, usually limited set of attributes about the subject of the identity transaction.


In the physical world, people collect and manage identity credentials from various sources including governments, financial institutions, schools, businesses, family, colleagues, and friends. People also assert information themselves. These various [credentials] serve different purposes. [People|Natural Person] collect them and present them in various [contexts]. When presented, the [credential] [verifier] is free to determine whether to trust the [credential] or not.


[{$pagename}] emphasizes [relationships] instead of [identifiers]. [Identifiers] still exist, but they're not the primary focus. In [Sovrin], each [relationship] is represented by a pairwise, [pseudonymous] identifier exchange. These identifiers are linked to public-private key pairs so that each [relationship] can be validated by either party and supports private, [confidential] communications between the parties to the [relationship].

!! More Information
There might be more information for this subject on one of the following:
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* [#1] - [http://www.windley.com/archives/2018/05/multi-source_identity.shtml|Wikipedia:http://www.windley.com/archives/2018/05/multi-source_identity.shtml|target='_blank'] - based on information obtained 2018-08-18-