Membership · Advanced

Show people, and the AI agents working for them, that your brand can be trusted.

Buyers increasingly ask AI assistants which companies to shortlist, buy from or partner with. Advanced membership gives your brand a full, independent Trust Review against the CGBB standard. Brands that score 80% or higher receive a CGBB-verified trust.json file: a machine-readable record of your verified trust credentials that AI shopping and procurement agents can read directly from your website.

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What’s included

A comprehensive Trust Review. A full assessment across all seven dimensions of the Global Brand Credibility Index, based on verified evidence and reviewed by the CGBB panel. This goes well beyond the free, indicative Trust Diagnosis.
A CGBB-verified trust.json file for brands that score 80% or higher, with a public verification record at api.cgbb.org.
An annual review so your score, and your file, stay current.
Priority access to the Secretariat and member pricing on CGBB events.

How to obtain trust.json

1Upgrade your membershipAdvanced membership is taken for a minimum of one year.
2Complete the comprehensive Trust ReviewOnce your upgrade is active, CGBB runs a full review of your brand and the evidence behind it.
3Score 80% or higherBrands that reach the threshold are issued a signed trust.json file. Brands below it receive a report with the steps needed to get there, and can be reviewed again.
4Publish it on your websitePlace the file at yourdomain.com/.well-known/trust.json. Any AI agent, platform or buyer can check it against the CGBB public record.

Both conditions apply

A trust.json file is only issued to organisations that hold an active Advanced membership and score at least 80% on the comprehensive Trust Review. Upgrading does not by itself guarantee a file. The file stays valid while the membership is active and the brand remains at or above 80% at its annual review.

What’s inside the file

A short, signed record that machines can read and anyone can verify. An illustrative outline:

{
  "standard": "CGBB Trust Standard 1.0",
  "issuer": "Council for Global Brand Building",
  "organisation": "Example Co. Ltd.",
  "domain": "example.com",
  "trust_score": 86,
  "dimensions": { "...": "seven dimension scores" },
  "issued": "2027-01-15",
  "valid_until": "2028-01-15",
  "verify": "https://api.cgbb.org/verify/example.com",
  "signature": "..."
}

The Verified Trusted badge

Verified brands can display the CGBB Verified Trusted badge alongside their trust.json file. The badge links to the brand’s live record, so visitors can confirm it in one click.

Light and dark versions are provided on verification.

FAQ

Can someone copy our trust.json and put it on their own website?

They can copy the file, because it is public by design, but a copy is worthless. Each file is locked to the exact domain it was issued for, so a copy on another website fails the check immediately.

Can the score or dates in the file be changed?

No. CGBB digitally signs every file with a private key that only CGBB holds, and publishes the matching public key on cgbb.org. Changing a single character, such as the score or the expiry date, breaks the signature.

How do AI agents and buyers know a file is genuine?

Every file links to its record at api.cgbb.org. Agents check that live record directly, so the CGBB registry, not the file itself, is the final word on whether a brand is verified today.

What happens if a brand’s membership lapses or its score falls?

CGBB withdraws the record in the registry. The file on the brand’s website then fails verification, even though it still looks unchanged. Files also expire after a set period and are renewed after each annual review.

What if a website shows the badge or file without being verified?

Anyone can look the domain up in the public CGBB registry. A brand that claims to be verified but has no live record is exposed by that check, and CGBB may act against misuse of its marks.

Does upgrading guarantee a trust.json file?

No. The file is only issued to organisations that hold an active Advanced membership and score at least 80% on the comprehensive Trust Review.

Fees

Annual fees for Advanced membership will be published shortly. Members can request an upgrade now, and the Secretariat will confirm the fee and next steps by email.

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