Definition
Proof of Approval is a Proof Artifact establishing that an authenticated provider reported an approval event: the provider recorded a sign-off on a specific action, at a specific moment, captured with a specific payload. It converts approval events — often the most consequential and disputed in an organization — into portable, independently verifiable evidence of what the provider reported.
Because the artifact commits to the approval event and its provenance cryptographically, it cannot be back-dated, altered, or fabricated without detection. It proves the event and its integrity; whether the approver was authorized or the approval was valid remains a business and policy determination made on top of this evidence.
Why it matters
Approvals gate money, access, and risk. Proof of Approval ensures the approval event is verifiable and its provenance clear — evidence no party can later alter, and on which authorization judgments can rest.
- It removes disputes over whether an approval event was recorded, and when.
- It binds each approval event to a verifiable issuer and provenance.
- It gives regulators tamper-evident evidence of the events behind a control.
- It protects individuals from having approval events fabricated or misattributed.
Real-world examples
High-value payment authorization
A payment above a threshold requires a controller’s approval; the proof of approval confirms the authorized controller signed off before funds moved.
Privileged access grant
Granting admin access requires manager approval. The proof establishes the manager authorized it, supporting least-privilege controls.
Policy exception sign-off
An exception to policy is approved by a risk officer; the proof artifact evidences that the exception was properly authorized.
Visual explanation
Authenticated event
An authenticated provider event occurs
An authenticated event arrives from a provider you already use — a signature completion, a payment, an authentication, an issue transition, or an AI action — carrying a payload PFP can verify.
Proof Artifact
PFP verifies it and signs a Proof Artifact
PFP verifies the authenticated event, commits to its payload, and cryptographically signs the result into a Proof Artifact — capturing what the provider reported and its provenance, without exposing the underlying data.
Independent verification
Anyone can independently verify the artifact
Auditors, regulators, partners, or AI systems verify the Proof Artifact independently — confirming the event occurred, its payload is intact, and its provenance — without trusting any central party.
Frequently asked questions
Related concepts
Proof of Execution
Proof of Execution is a linked set of Proof Artifacts capturing the authenticated events emitted by each step of a process — independently verifiable evidence that each step event was recorded, intact, and in order. It evidences the reported execution, not business correctness.
Read articleIndependent Verification
Independent verification is the ability for any party to confirm that an event or claim is true using mathematics, without trusting the party that produced the evidence.
Read articleCompliance Evidence
Compliance evidence, in Proof Infrastructure terms, is a set of independently verifiable Proof Artifacts of the authenticated control events an organization relies on — portable, privacy-preserving evidence that the events occurred and are intact. It does not itself certify that an obligation was met.
Read articleRelated questions
Related comparisons
Where this applies
See it in action
Inspect a Proof Artifact and run independent verification in the live demo.