{
  "slug": "identity-decay",
  "title": "Every identity record is a photograph of a moving thing",
  "summary": "Identity attributes are observations with a timestamp, not facts. How fast each decays, what staleness costs, and how to set re-verification by risk.",
  "lede": "Identity systems store attributes as though they were facts. They are observations with a timestamp, and almost nothing in the stack records the timestamp or reasons about it. The result is a stack that is simultaneously too trusting of old data and too eager to re-check data that has not changed.",
  "date": "2026-09-25",
  "reading_time": "17 min read",
  "category": "Standards",
  "tags": [
    "identity decay",
    "perpetual KYC",
    "recycled phone numbers",
    "re-verification",
    "data freshness",
    "identity attributes",
    "ongoing due diligence"
  ],
  "image": "https://cdn.twc.sh/images/igcache/Identity%20Decay/1200_630/blog.jpg",
  "url": "/blog/identity-decay.html",
  "wordcount": 3991,
  "related": [
    "credential-zombies",
    "verify-without-calling-issuer",
    "identity-continuity-hire-to-offboard"
  ],
  "schema": "Article"
}