Method and system for establishing and managing trust metrics for service providers in a federated service provider network

摘要

A system for enabling consumers to select service providers from a federated network of providers based on trust rating relative to one or more trust metrics comprising:
a trust authority (115) for rating service providers and issuing trust certificates to those providers;
a trust validation service (112,113,114) for validating trust certificates used in communication to convey trust; and
an interface (600) accessible to consumers for presenting a list of trusted service providers rated by the trust authority;
characterized in that the service provider information provided in the listing includes trust rating, pricing for services, and a trust certificate summary visible to the consumer to help the consumer decide which service provider to contact.