Article / Private Capability

The Agent’s Identity Must Be Separate from the User

Agents acting as the user erase attribution and make revocation, limits and investigation harder.

Written byJonathan P. De Collibus

Founding Partner, Svperior / Cyber

Published16 July 2026

DisciplinesCyber / Systems Engineering

The answer

Delegated automation often borrows the human’s token. Logs show the user even when the agent selected the action. Issue distinct agent identities with narrower scopes and explicit sponsorship.

Delegated automation often borrows the human’s token.

Where this breaks

Logs show the user even when the agent selected the action.

The operating move

Issue distinct agent identities with narrower scopes and explicit sponsorship.

Value object — The operational card

- Agent identity

- Human sponsor

- Permitted tools

- Expiry

The test

Revoke the agent without disrupting the user. If impossible, their authorities were never separated.

Evidence

Sources

NIST: AI Risk Management Framework — Generative AI ProfileNIST: AI Risk Management Framework
Primary authority
Swiss FDPIC: AI and data protectionSwiss FDPIC: AI and data protection
Primary authority
NIST SP 800-207: Zero Trust ArchitectureNIST SP 800-207: Zero Trust Architecture
Primary authority

Expert review

Adam J. De CollibusFounding Partner, Svperior / Systems Engineering

Author

Jonathan P. De Collibus

Jonathan co-founded Svperior in 2014 and leads its cyber practice. His work sits where adversarial pressure, technical architecture, and consequential decisions meet, with experience across clinical, financial, public-sector, and private-client systems where confidentiality, continuity, and technical correctness carry material consequences.

Cyber strategy / Adversarial assessment / Security architecture / Private systems

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