Dynamic Attestation and Reputation Networks (DARN): A Distributed Architecture for Continuous Trust Evaluation of Autonomous Agents

This paper introduces the Dynamic Attestation and Reputation Network (DARN), a conceptual architecture for generating and aggregating continuously evolving trust evidence for autonomous agents. To address "dynamic trust instability," DARN integrates decentralized identity, cryptographic attestation, and governed evaluation standards into a unified system. Rather than a static score, DARN models trust as a multi-dimensional, evolving state derived from Proof of Assessment Work (PoAW) and a Dynamic Registry of Attestation Tasks (DRAT).