Re: The change from claims to credentials.

I can speak to this, having been heavily involved when it occurred.  The original VC work that spun out of CCG used the term "Verifiable Credential", because Credential is indeed the word with the most accurate connotations for what the work was about, as evidenced by many broad surveys and discussions.
Unfortunately, at the time a number of the security folks at W3C objected to the word, claiming that "Credential" meant Username/Password.  In order to move the work forward we changed the name to Verifiable Claims.  That name persisted through the VCWG chartering process.  By the time the group started its work, those in the security space at W3C who had initially objected to the use of "Credential" had learned enough about the work to understand why that term was, indeed, correct.  We then changed the spec title as rapidly as we could and worked hard to only use "Verifiable Credentials" from then on.

So if you ever hear anyone use the incorrect term, please correct them to "Verifiable Credentials".

-- dan

________________________________
From: Snorre Lothar von Gohren Edwin <snorre@diwala.io>
Sent: Monday, August 9, 2021 7:38 AM
To: Credentials CG <public-credentials@w3.org>
Subject: The change from claims to credentials.

Hi! I just wonder and want to confirm

In early days there was a lot of talk about verifiable claims. But it was a switch over to focus more on verifiable credentials.

Do anyone have a briefe paragraph on the history of this focus change?

--
Snorre Lothar von Gohren Edwin
Co-Founder & CTO, Diwala
+47 411 611 94
www.diwala.io<http://www.diwala.io/>