Specification vs implementation
PTI and TumiTrust
Portable Trust Infrastructure is an open architecture and specification. TumiTrust pioneered the category and operates the first production reference implementation.
Portable Trust Infrastructure (PTI)
PTI is an open technical specification and architectural model. It defines how trust systems can become:
- Portable — signals travel with subjects across institutions
- Programmable — APIs and events integrate into automated workflows
- Contextual — lending, employment, rental, and other life areas stay isolated
- Explainable — outcomes trace to evidence and provenance
- Interoperable — independent implementations exchange trust via shared semantics
PTI specifies concepts, terminology, architecture, protocols, data models, governance, and conformance — without requiring any single vendor stack.
| PTI defines | Examples |
|---|---|
| Concepts & terminology | Trust context, trust event, pti_id, trust lookup |
| Architecture | Producers, exchange, graph, intelligence engine, consumers |
| Protocols & APIs | Event ingest, lookup tiers, federation (RFCs) |
| Governance | Consent, retention, RFC process, conformance profiles |
Start here: Specification v1.0 · RFC index · Glossary
TumiTrust
TumiTrust is the organization that pioneered Portable Trust Infrastructure and the first commercial reference implementation demonstrating PTI in production.
TumiTrust:
- Initiated the PTI conceptual model and initial terminology
- Authored the first specification bundle and RFC set
- Maintains early stewardship of the public specification through the RFC process
- Operates a production platform used by institutions and partners
- Contributes operational learnings back into the open standard
TumiTrust is the founding steward, not the owner of PTI. Conformance is measured against public RFCs and tests — not vendor affiliation.
| TumiTrust provides | Documentation |
|---|---|
| Production PTI implementation | TumiTrust Platform overview |
| Trust platform API | Developer guides |
| Operational experience | Feeds RFC and specification revisions |
Product docs: TumiTrust documentation
How they relate
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Can I implement PTI without TumiTrust? | Yes — see Build Your Own PTI |
| Is TumiTrust required for certification? | No — Conformance is specification-based |
| Who changes the spec? | Working Group via RFC process |
| Where do I contribute? | GitHub · Contributing |
Language to use
| Prefer | Avoid |
|---|---|
| TumiTrust pioneered PTI | TumiTrust owns PTI |
| Founding steward | Exclusive platform |
| Reference implementation | The PTI platform |
| PTI-compatible (with profile) | Official PTI (without certification) |