Our trust work

Trust is the foundation of a working data ecosystem

Inconsistent Requirements

Each data holder conducts its own trust review, creating inconsistent requirements. Startups must navigate a different application process with every platform they want to access.

Inconsistent Outcomes

Private, siloed trust decisions mean bad actors can continue operating in parts of the ecosystem undetected, leaving user data unprotected.

Lowers Choice

Inconsistent trust barriers reduce the number of legitimate, innovative solutions available to users.

The Risk

Fragmented Trust Creates Friction and Data Concentration

Today, each large platform holding personal data attempts to protect its users from phishing or impersonation attacks attempting to get access to sensitive personal data. But they each take their own approach, setting their own application processes and make their own decisions privately. This results in a great deal of friction, expense, and inconsistent outcomes.

The Opportunity

Shared Trust Infrastructure Enables Secure Data Portability

DTI is uniquely positioned to make trust decisions in the public benefit, with the Data Trust Registry. Lower risks and costs to large platforms motivate them to join, whereas small companies are enabled by reduced friction, delays and application overhead.

Publications

Trust framework documents

DTI developed these foundational documents to give the ecosystem shared standards for how trust should be assessed in direct data transfers — covering the threats to address, the criteria for trustworthiness, and the overall model.

Trust Model (PDF) · Threat Model (PDF) · Trust Criteria (PDF)

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