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Q: In the SP metadata, is there an indication of what assurance level the SP requires?
A: No. The metadata contains an entity tag for the IdP if certified, but not the SP. The SP specifies its required assurance at the start of each session.
Approval of 1.2
Version 1.2 was approved by Incommon Steering on Feb. 11, 2013, and it is now the production spec. The Assurance website will be updated soon with the new information. Simplifed bronze is now in effect; an audit is no longer needed for bronze and certification is free. Longer term, it's possible that bronze assurance will replace the InCommon IdP Participant Operational Practices (POP).
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