Another description for the Certification Authority that stresses that the keeper of the CA private key should be an organisation or an entity that has no interests or ties of any kind with the clients.

An independent third party that contributes to the trustworthiness of computer-based information transfers.

An intermediary who shares secret keys with others who don't have a means to communicate with each other securely. Encrypted communications are funneled through the trusted third party to ensure confidentiality. This model for secure communications is sometimes called the military model because the troops must communicate through a superior ranking solider, the Trusted Third Party.

In cryptography, a trusted third party (TTP) is an entity which facilitates interactions between two parties who both trust the third party; they use this trust to secure their own interactions. TTPs are common in cryptographic protocols, for example, a certificate authority (CA).