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Films · Journey 5
A partner outside our control runs its own agents under its own root. What do we hold about them, and who can withdraw it?
Chapters 10
Transcript, read from the captions
Introduction
Hi, I'm Ralph from Raidiam. Your partners run their own agents. Let me show you how you can trust them without holding a thing about them.
Their root. Your platform.
You work with a partner you do not control. They run their own software under their own root: the top of their chain, which signs for every agent under it. Now their agents ask for access. You vetted none of them and issued them nothing. So how do you know who they are?
One record. About the root.
Just one record. It is about the partner's root and not their software. Your own authority signs that record. It sets the limit on what their agents may do. Every agent under that root is checked against it.
Look in your own platform
Let me show you a running platform. It is a reference implementation of an authorisation server and not Raidiam Connect. It stands for the sort of system you already run. Now look for the partner's agent in its client database. There is no record.
Now show Raidiam Connect
That record is kept in Raidiam Connect. Here your authority signs it. Connect publishes it signed, so any platform can check it. Any agent under that root is then checked through your record, inside your limit.
Now cross the boundary
Now let's cross the boundary to your partner. They publish their own root and agent and hold both keys. And you issued neither. They need no credential to see what your authority says about their agent.
Their root
Here is the partner's root. Two authorities name it, and each holds its own record. A scheme has accredited the partner, and Aldercross's mark is embedded on this root. Your authority signs for it, with your limit on it. Neither of them issued this party an identifier.
What your record actually does
But what does your record do? This is their agent. It claims what it wants. Your authority answers what it may do. This page prints both. It reads them live, with no credential. Open the answer. Your authority signed it. The limit on it comes from your record, and a named person can change it.
What you hold
So what do you hold? One record for each partner root. Not one for each agent. The partner keeps its own keys and software. One named person at your organisation can withdraw that record. When they do, the link goes for every platform that checks it. Govern the agent once. Every boundary it crosses gets the same signed answer.
Get in touch
One signed record, one ceiling, and one person who can take it all back. If you'd like to see this running for your own business, please do get in touch.
The use case
Across the boundary. With trust.
An agent arrives from an organisation you do not control, carrying evidence you can verify for yourself. Your own policy decides what it may do, and your platform issues nothing it did not decide to issue.