A digital escrow pattern for data services can include selective access for obscured data at a remote site or in a cloud service, distributing trust across multiple entities to avoid a single point of data compromise. Based on the pattern, a “trustworthy envelope” for any kind of payload enables curtained access through a variety of decorations or seals placed on the envelope that allow for a gamut of trust ranging with guarantees such as, but not limited to, confidentiality, privacy, anonymity, tamper detection, integrity, etc. For instance, XML tags can be applied or augmented to create trust envelopes for structured XML data. Some examples of mathematical transformations or ‘decorations’ that can be applied to the XML data include, but are not limited to, size-preserving encryption, searchable-encryption, or Proof(s) of Application, blind fingerprints, Proof(s) of Retrievability, etc.