NFCW to Release Blueprint for Internet-Wide Trust Layer on 20 October

A blueprint for building a universal layer of trust across the internet will be released on 20 October, aiming to give consumers simpler and safer ways to navigate digital environments.

The first part of Blueprint for a Universal Layer of Trust is now available for pre-order and will serve as the foundation for a cross-industry, standards-based effort to add a trust layer on top of today's internet infrastructure.

The initiative relies on a new, standardisable mechanism that acts as a core building block for trust-based products and services across industries.

The report introduces the new trust mechanism and lays out the rationale behind the Trustnet concept, detailing the problems it addresses and demonstrating how it can enable safer, simpler user experiences.

It also examines the business opportunities this infrastructure unlocks, allowing companies to innovate at the edge with new trust-based models.

Executives and technical specialists will find the foundation they need to evaluate the Trustnet's potential, determine its relevance to their organisations, and decide how to participate in the standards-setting process.

Following publication, an early access programme will allow members to receive candidate specifications, research briefings, and business model frameworks before public release, along with priority access to sandbox and pilot opportunities.

Organisations wanting to play an active role in developing the Trustnet can join a corporate membership programme to participate in specification-setting, help shape certification frameworks, and contribute to the governance and implementation infrastructure needed for a standards-based deployment.

The internet has revolutionized our ability to access information, communicate, transact and participate in a world that is no longer constrained by physical distance, said NFCW editor and report author Sarah Clark. Smartphones have then further placed that extraordinary capability into the palm of our hands.

But something remains missing. For all the capabilities that the internet and smartphones have delivered, we still lack a way to communicate with each other within an environment of trust.

Clark explained that the blueprint is designed to catalyse a new standards-based trust layer that will enable a new phase in the internet's evolution, one that places trust at the centre of digital engagement.

NFCW readers are ideally placed to capitalize on their expertise in trust technologies by taking the lead in defining this new standards and certification initiative. We hope you will join us on the journey.

Part one of Blueprint for a Universal Layer of Trust is available to pre-order at the special NFCW reader rate of £1,995 (approximately $2,636/€2,354) until 20 October.

The cover price will increase to £3,995 once the blueprint has been published.