How do PeerBadge & Manifold work together?

The Manifold protocol is open on purpose. Anyone with the right hardware like an Umbrel or Start9 can run the Manifold Fedimint Guardian software and advertise available seats on the public Nostr registry. 

Nobody vets that list, which is exactly what stops any single company or entity from controlling who is allowed to provide guardian services for federations. It also leaves the ambassador starting the federation with a very valid question: Which guardians should I trust to custody my federation's funds?

In the Fedi app, the PeerBadge answers them through Fedi Verification without anyone having to publish an identity, embracing privacy. Guardian Hosts can carry a credential or badge signed by someone whose judgement Fedi already trusts, and the Fedi app only considers Guardian Hosts who have one. 

In short, Manifold needs a way to tell a trustworthy guardian host from an untrustworthy one, and PeerBadge is what provides it.

Note that this relationship only runs one way. On the Fedi app, Manifold relies on Fedi Verification, but the PeerBadge protocol knows nothing about federations and is a general-purpose protocol. Nothing about Manifold is built into PeerBadge.

Also, keep in mind what this means for Manifold. Even with no company or entity arranging the setup, its foundation is still trust – just trust that people confer on each other, and that anyone can check without learning who anyone is.