Digital Trust Body of Knowledge™ (DTBoK™)
A global standard for governing, assuring, and operating trustworthy digital systems.
Developed and published by The Digital Trust Institute® (DTI®), the DTBoK™ defines the principles, models, and practices that underpin the global Digital Trust profession.
The Digital Trust Body of Knowledge™ (DTBoK™) is the canonical reference for the Digital Trust profession and is governed exclusively by The Digital Trust Institute®.
The Digital Trust Body of Knowledge™ (DTBoK™) is a structured reference framework developed by the Digital Trust Institute® (DTI®) to define the knowledge, principles and capability domains that underpin the emerging discipline of Digital Trust.
It provides a comprehensive, standards-aligned model for how organisations design, operate and govern digital systems in ways that build and maintain trust across technology, people and processes.
The DTBoK™ integrates established practices across governance, risk, cybersecurity, privacy, resilience, AI assurance, architecture, ethics and organisational capability. It is designed to provide a coherent reference structure for practitioners and organisations seeking to operationalise Digital Trust in complex digital environments.
What the DTBoK™ provides
The DTBoK™ defines:
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Core principles of Digital Trust as an organisational capability
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Key domains of practice across governance, risk and technology
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Competency expectations for Digital Trust professionals
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Structural alignment between disciplines such as cybersecurity, privacy and AI governance
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Foundational concepts that inform DTI® credential frameworks and membership pathways
Relationship to existing global standards
The DTBoK™ is designed to be interoperable with established international standards and guidance, including frameworks published by organisations such as the UK NCSC, NIST, ISO and ENISA.
Rather than replacing existing standards, the DTBoK™ brings together relevant practices into a unified structure to support cross-disciplinary implementation of Digital Trust.
Scope and Purpose
The DTBoK™ is intended for use by:
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Boards and executive leadership teams
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Digital, data, AI and technology leaders
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Cybersecurity, privacy, risk and compliance professionals
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Regulators and policy stakeholders
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Educators and academic institutions
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Digital Trust practitioners and candidates
It supports both organisational capability development and professional development within the Digital Trust discipline.
DTBoK™ and DTI® Credentials
The DTBoK™ underpins the design and structure of DTI® credential frameworks, including:
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Digital Trust Specialist® (DTSp®)
It provides the conceptual and competency foundation for assessments, learning pathways and organisational capability models.
Availability and Licensing
The DTBoK™ is available under different licensing models, including:
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Individual access (digital edition)
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Organisational licensing
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Academic licensing
Organisational licensing supports the use of the DTBoK™ for internal capability development, governance alignment and workforce development initiatives.
DTI® provides periodic updates to ensure alignment with evolving global practices in cybersecurity, privacy, AI governance and digital risk management.