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Knowledge mapAre agent identity and permission the same?Industry concepts and standards

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Are agent identity and permission the same?

Separate persistent naming, proof of control and authority for an action.

For cross-application action, distinguish the identifier, its controller, the represented party and the permitted action.

A DID can identify software. Verification methods establish key-control relationships; credentials can carry issuer claims. Verifiers still evaluate issuer trust, credential status and business authorization. A DID grants neither reputation nor permission by itself.

Why connect this to blockchain?

Some DID methods use a chain; others do not. Identifiable actors and enforceable authority do not require every agent to have an on-chain account.

A purchasing agent might receive task-scoped authority instead of the owner’s root key. Scope, budget, expiry and revocation need separate design. This is an architectural example, not a claim that a complete delegation product has shipped.

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