An observer's perception of the digital identity of an entity is inevitably mediated by the subjective viewpoint of that observer (just as it is with physical identity). In order to
attribute a digital representation to an entity, and so to elide the two as a
digital subject, the attributing party (the observer) must trust that the representation does indeed pertain to the entity (see
Authentication below). Conversely, the entity may only grant the observer selective access to its informational attributes (according to the identity of the observer from the perspective of the entity). In this way, digital identity is better understood as a particular viewpoint within a mutually-agreed relationship than as an objective property. This contextual nature of digital identity is referred to as
contextual identity.
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