Threshold decoding of data based on trust levels

A method for execution by one or more processing modules of one or more computing devices of a dispersed storage network (DSN), the method comprises:

• receiving, by a set of storage units of the DSN, a plurality of read requests regarding a plurality of sets of encoded data slices from a requesting device of the DSN, wherein a data object is dispersed storage error encoded to produce the plurality of sets of encoded data slices, wherein the set of storage units stores at least some of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices, and wherein at least some encoded data slices of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices have associated therewith a trust level indicator;
• outputting, by the set of storage units, a plurality of read responses, wherein a read response of the plurality of read responses includes a corresponding one or more encoded data slices of the plurality of sets of encoded data slices and, for each of the corresponding one or more encoded data slices having an associated trust level indicator, a corresponding trust level indicator;
• receiving, by the requesting device, the plurality of read responses;
• arranging, by the requesting device, the corresponding one or more encoded data slices of the plurality of read responses into a received plurality of sets of encoded data slices;
• and
• on a set by set basis for the received plurality of sets of encoded data slices:
• selecting, by the requesting device, a decode threshold number of encoded data slices from the set of encoded data slices based on corresponding trust level indicators of the set of encoded data slices to produce a selected set of encoded data slices;
• and
• decoding, by the requesting device, the selected set of encoded data slices to recapture a data segment of the data object.