The Evidence Layer for Autonomous Action
Identity tells us what it is. Authorization tells us what it can access. Operational
Legitimacy tells us whether it has the authority to act — for AI agents, robots, drones,
autonomous vehicles, industrial machines, and agent-to-agent systems.
The Five Controls
- Identity — which actor acted?
- Delegated Authority — who empowered it, and through what chain?
- Scope — what action, resources, limits, context, and duration were authorized?
- Evidence — what machine-verifiable record proves the action stayed within that authority?
- Accountability & Revocation — who is answerable, and how can authority be suspended at machine speed?
OL Reference Model v0.1
A public working draft, open for review, proposing six reference artifacts: Actor
Identity Record, Authority Manifest, Delegation Receipt, Permission Envelope, Action
Evidence Record, and Revocation Event. These are conceptual reference artifacts, not a
deployed standard or certification.
Read the working draft.
Published Paper
Reference Publications
Operational Legitimacy is an independent research initiative. It is not a regulator,
standards body, or certification authority. OL Verified™ is at concept stage — no certifications currently offered, and no
applications accepted. Contact: contact@operationallegitimacy.com