Credentials and Triangulated Trust Signals on a Single Accountable Identifier: A Hash-Anchored Distributed-Ledger Framework for Portable Identity across Jurisdictions

Abstract

Digital identity remains structurally rigid when it is bound to provider accounts, mutable handles, single social contexts, and local wallet schemes. This paper defines an accountable hash-anchor tier above wallets and credential schemes. Building on a companion model of legal identity assurance, the tier binds an inert root anchor to an event-backed Entity Actor Identity (EAID) assurance state, supports unlinkable profile anchors for distinct contexts, and lets relying parties evaluate gate-specific assurance-at-time over disclosed independent confirmation-event clusters. The formal model states the identifier and capability separation invariant, defines root and profile anchors, models disclosure and lawful resolution as constraints, and gives a two-layer erasure construction for retained commitments and off-chain personal linkage. It also models trust as a reliance event in which pseudonymous interaction becomes rational when a presentation satisfies the requested gate and recourse can reach the legally relevant imputation point. The result is a scheme-agnostic aggregation layer that complements national wallets, supports natural, juridical, and machine actor constellations, and states conditions under which pseudonymity, lawful access, data erasure, and retention can be jointly satisfied.