!!! Overview[1]
[{$pagename}] ([{$pagename}] [Network] from the [Sovrin Foundation]) enables a flexible, [decentralized|Distributed system] means of exchanging [credentials] that can be [Authenticated].[Credential] exchange is enabled by a [Peer-to-peer] [network] of software [Sovrin Agents] that operate on behalf of and under the control of the [person] or [Organizational Entity] they represent.  People and organizations can use their [Sovrin Agent] to issue, hold, and verify [credentials] using peer-to-peer connections. When a person uses a [credential] to prove something about themselves to a [Relying Party], that [Relying Party] can:
* verify the credential is valid
* know who issued the credential, 
* check that it hasn’t been revoked 
by using a [Distributed Ledger Technology] that makes this information available to anyone. 

!! Sovrin Structure 
! [Sovrin Foundation]
[Sovrin Foundation] is the sponsor of the [Hyperledger Indy] open source project. The Sovrin Network runs code from [Hyperledger Indy].

! [Evernym INC.]
[Evernym INC.] and other organizations build products that run on the [Sovrin] [Network]. For example, [Evernym INC.] is building the Connect.me [Digital Wallet] for use with Sovrin and a commercial enterprise-grade verifiable credentialing system called Verity. The [Government Entity] of British Columbia is building software to use Sovrin [credentials] for business licensing. These commercial organizations also provide [services], like [agencies|Agent], to the Sovrin community. Developers at these organizations contribute code to [Hyperledger Indy].

! [Hyperledger Indy]
[Hyperledger Indy] houses the open source code for the [Sovrin] [Network] and provides collaboration services for [Sovrin], [Evernym INC.], and others working on [Hyperledger Indy] [code]. [Hyperledger Indy] relies on volunteer contributions from the [Sovrin] Community.

! Sovrin Community 
Sovrin Community supports and is supported by the [Sovrin Foundation], contributes to [Hyperledger Indy], and provides [services] to or uses services from the various software vendors and agencies.

!! [Attribute-Based|Attribute Based Access Control]
All [identity|Identification] information is separated into individual [attributes], such as [Birthdate], first name, street, [pseudonyms|Pseudonym], frequent flier numbers, etc.

To [access], [login] to, or prove something, present only the [attributes] necessary and nothing else, such as "over 21" without sharing your actual [Birthday].

This optimizes [privacy], as those receiving your [attributes] have no way of correlating them with unshared [attributes] such as your name.

[Attributes] have one or more [attestations] attached to prove [authenticity], [Digitally Signed] by the individual or relevant [third parties|Third-party]. (It’s one thing for you to say you have a degree; it’s quite another when the university says so.)!! [Self-Sovereign Identity]
[Sovereign|Sovereignty] is defined as "One that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere." If an [identity|Digital Identity] can be revoked, or the rules changed, by anyone other than its owner, it isn’t sovereign. Your control over your Sovrin identity cannot be revoked, not even by Evernym. The Sovrin platform itself is also sovereign, as it is controlled by [consent] of its independently owned and operated nodes and not by Evernym or anyone or anything else. 

!! Advanced
To keep nodes [synchronized|Synchronization], [{$pagename}] utilizes [Plenum Byzantine Fault Tolerant Protocol], an advanced [Distributed Consensus] [algorithm] developed by [Evernym INC.]. [Plenum Byzantine Fault Tolerant Protocol] achieves [Byzantine|Byzantine Generals Problem] fault tolerance, making [{$pagename}] robust and highly tamper-resistant. [Plenum Byzantine Fault Tolerant Protocol] also leverages advanced [Elliptic Curve] [cryptography], [Digitally signing|Digital Signature] and [encrypting|Encryption] every [message], [end-to-end|End-to-end Encryption], and is more secure than current [SSL]/[TLS] [protocols].

Validation on the [{$pagename}]'s [ledger|Hyperledger Indy] is based on a known set of nodes run by the [Sovrin Stewards]. The ledger and its governance to ensure that the ledger is public, open, and decentralized despite the presence of known validators.

[Plenum Byzantine Fault Tolerant Protocol] can handle thousands of transactions per second with a latency of a few seconds, compared to about 7 transactions per second with a 10-minute latency for proof-of-work protocols. [Plenum Byzantine Fault Tolerant Protocol] has a [friction]-less [Open Source] license, and you can see the [codebase|https://github.com/hyperledger/indy-plenum|target='_blank'].

!! Dedicated
Some platforms are designed to be flexible, to support almost any [application]. Not [{$pagename}]. [{$pagename}] is dedicated to and engineered for a single purpose: globally trustable [Self-Sovereign Identity]. [{$pagename}] gives other [software|Application], [websites], [blockchains], and [distributed ledgers|Distributed Ledger Technology] a powerful new source for identity: a universal, private, non-tracked, easy-to-use, [Self-Sovereign Identity] [ledger|Distributed Ledger Technology] that supports the entire continuum of the identity graph, from [anonymity] to [pseudonymity] to strongly proven full [legal] identity.

!! [Privacy-Enhancing|Privacy Enhancing Technologies]
Too many companies claim to value your [privacy], yet impose terms of service that let them harvest, analyze, and sell your [data]. With [{$pagename}] there are no terms and conditions for you to agree to, because you’re not a "user" in the traditional sense; your identity is truly self-sovereign, and no [entity] in the world can read your data—even your name—without your explicit [consent].

Sovrin’s sophisticated [Privacy Enhancing Technologies] ([PETs]) make it nearly impossible for aspects of you and your identity graph to be correlated. Beyond simple [Privacy Concerns|Privacy Considerations], it satisfies tough [regulatory|Regulatory compliance] requirements, protects you from identity theft, and can mean the difference between life and death for refugees or dissidents targeted by an unfriendly regime.!! [Public Ledger] [Permissioned Systems]
The "[nodes]" of any [distributed ledger|Distributed Ledger Technology] are gatekeepers of its [data]; they follow strict [protocols] to reach [consent] about which submitted [data] gets in, and which does not. Unlike [{$pagename}], "[Permissionless System]" [blockchains] (like [Bitcoin]) typically use "proof of work" to reach [consent] among the nodes, where anyone with a computer can serve as a node by performing the required work (solving a complex [cryptographic] puzzle before anyone else). These [anonymous] systems can have groundbreaking advantages for some [applications], such as [cryptocurrency].

In contrast, [{$pagename}] utilizes a public [Permissioned System] [distributed ledger|Distributed Ledger Technology]—not a [blockchain]—that provides public access for identity owners while permitting only known, trusted, vetted [entities] to serve as nodes. This provides the greater [transparency] — and higher comfort level — some [applications] and industries require, while still not relying on any intermediary or central authority. For a thorough, authoritative discussion of this topic, see Tim Swanson’s seminal work.

!! [Trust Framework]
The [{$pagename}] [Trust Framework] is the [legal] foundation of the [{$pagename}] Network as a global public utility for [Self-Sovereign Identity]. It is developed by the [{$pagename}] [Trust Framework] [Working Group], currently chaired by [{$pagename}] trustee [Drummond Reed], and each new version is approved by the [{$pagename}] Foundation Board of Trustees to become the official set of governance documents for the operation of the [{$pagename}] ledger.

!! [{$pagename}] and [Hyperledger Indy] [3]
[{$pagename}] is a specific deployment of the [Hyperledger Indy] codebase. [{$pagename}] developed the [Hyperledger Indy] code base as part of its mission to build a global public utility for self-sovereign identity. Sovrin Foundation contributed the code to Hyperledger under the Hyperledger Indy brand to expand the developer community and allow greater participation. But Sovrin and Indy are distinct. Sovrin is a specific, operating instance of the Hyperledger Indy code that contains identities that are interoperable at the global scale.

!! [{$pagename}] [Entities]
* [Sovrin Node]
* [Sovrin Agent]
!! More Information
There might be more information for this subject on one of the following:
[{ReferringPagesPlugin before='*' after='\n' }]
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* [#1] - [Sovrin Technology|https://sovrin.org/technology/|target='_blank'] - based on information obtained 2017-08-01- 
* [#2] - [Trust Framework|https://sovrin.org/trust-framework/|target='_blank'] - based on information obtained 2017-08-01- 
* [#3] - [Sovrin & Hyperledger Indy: An FAQ |https://sovrin.org/indy-faq/|target='_blank'] - based on information obtained 2017-10-15