Key Concepts
Core technologies behind Nuggets’ Universal Trust Layer built on W3C standards, cryptographic trust, privacy by design, and AI-ready infrastructure.
Nuggets addresses the challenges of digital identity and AI trust through a comprehensive platform built on decentralized identity principles and cryptographic verification. Our solution combines human and AI agent identity management with integrated payments and compliance capabilities.
Design Principles
Nuggets’ architecture is built on four foundational principles:
- Open Standards: Leveraging W3C Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) to ensure interoperability and avoid vendor lock-in
- Cryptographic Trust: Eliminating dependency on centralized authorities through cryptographic verification while maintaining regulatory compliance
- Privacy by Design: Protecting user privacy through decentralized architecture, selective disclosure, and zero-knowledge capabilities
- AI-Ready Infrastructure: Purpose-built to handle both human and machine identities in an autonomous agent economy
Technical Foundation
Nuggets is built on proven cryptographic and distributed systems technologies:
- W3C Standards: Nuggets leverages established open standards to ensure vendor neutrality and broad compatibility
- Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs): W3C standard for self-sovereign digital identity
- Verifiable Credentials (VCs): Cryptographically secure, portable credentials
- OpenID Connect (OIDC): Standard authentication flows enhanced with decentralized identity
- OAuth 2.0: Secure authorization with Decentralized identity and verifiable credential integration
- Post-Quantum Encryption: Future-proof security against quantum computing threats
- Confidential Computing: Encrypted processing environments using Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) for sensitive operations
- Blockchain Integration: Immutable private audit trails and decentralized verification networks
- AI Protocol Support: Integration with MCP, A2A, and emerging AI protocols
This technical foundation ensures Nuggets will remain secure and interoperable as technology evolves, providing long-term value for organizations investing in trusted digital infrastructure.
The Nuggets Trust Layer provides purpose-built infrastructure that secures the entire value chain of AI agent interactions. This comprehensive framework addresses the critical gap between AI capabilities and trust requirements through five integrated components:
Sovereign Identity
Verifiable and persistent digital identity that works across all interactions and platforms, eliminating the invisibility problem of AI actions. This component provides:
- Cryptographically Verified Identity: Every user, business and AI agent receives a verifiable digital identity using decentralized identifiers (DIDs)
- Cross-Platform Verification: Identity that works across organizational boundaries and technology platforms
- Persistent Accountability: Clear audit trails linking every AI identity action to verified responsible parties
- Anti-Spoofing Protection: Advanced verification mechanisms that prevent deepfakes and synthetic identity fraud
Personal Data
Secure, privacy-preserving handling of user data through distributed storage, eliminating data breach risks by removing PII from corporate systems. This approach provides:
- Distributed Data Storage: Personal data stored in user-controlled wallets rather than centralized databases, eliminating breach attack surfaces
- User-Controlled Access: Organizations access data only with explicit user permission, maintaining privacy while enabling functionality
- Zero-Knowledge Proofs for Data Minimizationcessing: AI operations on encrypted data without exposing raw personal information
- Selective disclosure: Users share only the minimum data required for each interaction, preserving privacy while enabling verification
Authentication
Verifying actions and intent, behind every action, ensuring all interactions come from properly authenticated users and AI agents. This component enables:
- Continuous Verification: AI agents undergo authentication for each significant action, not just initial deployment
- Granular Access Control: Works alongside existing CIAM systems to enable precise permissions ensuring AI agents can only access specific data and systems they’re authorized to use
- Human Oversight Integration: Real-time user consent and approval workflows for AI agents to access personal data and perform actions on behalf of users
Multi-Rail Payments
Secure, agent-enabled transactions across traditional and emerging payment rails with cryptographic verification and human oversight. This integration enables:
- Identity-Verified Transactions: Every payment is cryptographically linked to a verified identity, eliminating fraud and false positives
- AI Agent Payments: Secure autonomous transactions with user consent and approval workflows
- Verifiable Receipts: Cryptographically signed transaction records that provide tamper-proof evidence of completed payments and transaction details
- Universal Payment Support: Integration with traditional payment methods, and emerging payment rails
- Regulatory Compliance: Built-in compliance with PSD2, AML/KYC, and other financial regulations
Compliance
Privacy-preserving regulatory compliance with dynamic consent management and audit capabilities. This framework provides:
- Auditable Proofs: Encrypted compliance proofs (AML/KYC) secured with private keys, enabling regulatory access and retention and investigations whilst maintaining data privacy
- Zero-Knowledge Compliance: Prove regulatory requirements without revealing sensitive personal information
- Auditable Consent: Cryptographic records of user permissions with granular control over data usage
- Multi-Jurisdictional Support: Framework supporting diverse regulatory environments from CCPA/GDPR to emerging AI governance standards