Trusted Third Party
A trusted third party (TTP) is an entity that facilitates secure interactions between two or more parties who do not fully trust each other, by providing authentication, verification, or arbitration services. It acts as a neutral intermediary to ensure the integrity, confidentiality, and non-repudiation of transactions or communications. Common examples include certificate authorities in digital security, escrow services in finance, and notaries in legal contexts.
Developers should understand and use trusted third parties when building systems that require secure, verifiable interactions between untrusted entities, such as in e-commerce, digital identity management, or blockchain applications. This concept is crucial for implementing features like secure key exchange, digital signatures, and dispute resolution, helping to prevent fraud and ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR or PCI-DSS.