Identity

How NTL nodes establish and verify identity

Every NTL node has an identity. Identity determines who can emit signals, who can form synapses, and how trust is established in the network.

Identity Model

NTL supports a layered identity model:

┌─────────────────────────────┐
│   Application Identity      │  ← App-level (username, org)
├─────────────────────────────┤
│   Decentralized Identity    │  ← Optional DID anchor
├─────────────────────────────┤
│   NTL Node Identity         │  ← Core (keypair-based)
└─────────────────────────────┘

NTL Node Identity (Required)

Every node generates a keypair on initialization. The public key serves as the node’s identity:

struct NodeIdentity {
    id: NodeId,                    // Derived from public key
    public_key: PublicKey,         // From the active crypto module
    created_at: u64,
    capabilities: Vec<Capability>,
}

This is self-sovereign — no registration, no authority, no permission needed. A node generates a key and exists.

Decentralized Identity (Optional)

Nodes can anchor their NTL identity to a DID for cross-system verification:

struct DidAnchor {
    did: String,                   // e.g., "did:web:openntl.org:nodes:abc123"
    verification_method: String,
    proof: Vec<u8>,
}

Application Identity (Optional)

Applications built on NTL can layer their own identity systems on top — usernames, organizational roles, permissions. These exist at the application layer and don’t affect NTL transport.

Trust

NTL doesn’t have a global trust model. Trust is local and earned:

1. New synapse → minimal trust (low weight)
2. Successful signal exchange → trust increases (weight grows)
3. Failed or malicious signals → trust decreases (weight drops)
4. Sustained bad behavior → synapse prunes (isolation)

This is a reputation system built into the topology itself — no external oracle, no staking, no governance vote. Just observed behavior over time.

Anonymous Participation

NTL supports anonymous participation. A node can:

• Generate a fresh keypair for each session
• Not anchor to any DID
• Participate with reduced trust (lower initial synapse weight)

Anonymous nodes can still emit and receive signals, but they start with less network influence and must earn weight through participation.