A trust authority includes a network connected server executing trust service software stored in a machine-readable medium, one or more network ports for communicating on the network, and a data repository coupled to the server, the repository storing indications of trustworthiness for one or both of enterprises and agents of enterprises. Queries from remote entities, the queries pertaining to one or both of enterprises and agents, are received at the server, and the trust service software, in response to the queries, provides to the remote entities providing the queries indications of trustworthiness for the one or both of enterprises and agents.