Verification

How do I independently verify evidence?

The short answer

To independently verify evidence, obtain it as a signed proof artifact and run cryptographic verification: recompute the data commitment to confirm integrity, validate the digital signature to confirm authorship, check that the signing key was authorized, and confirm the timestamp. If all checks pass, the evidence is authentic and unaltered — established mathematically, without trusting the source.

Explanation

Independent verification means establishing the truth of a claim entirely on your own, using the proof and public cryptographic material. Traditional evidence — logs, exports, screenshots — cannot be independently verified because it can be edited and ultimately requires trusting the operator.

Proof infrastructure makes evidence self-verifying. Because verification is purely mathematical, it can be performed by a regulator, a partner, an auditor, or an automated AI agent, and everyone reaches the same reliable conclusion.

How to do it

  1. 1Obtain the evidence as a proof artifact (commitment + signature + metadata).
  2. 2Recompute the hash of any provided data and compare it to the commitment (integrity).
  3. 3Validate the signature against the issuer’s public key (authenticity).
  4. 4Confirm the signing key was authorized and active (authority).
  5. 5Check the timestamp is anchored and consistent (timing).

Examples

Regulator confirms a control

A regulator verifies a bank’s control proof directly, confirming execution without privileged access to internal systems.

AI agent validates upstream data

An automated agent verifies a received proof before acting — trusting the math, not the sender.

Related concepts

Independent VerificationIndependent 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.Cryptographic VerificationCryptographic verification is the process of using hashes and digital signatures to confirm that evidence is authentic, unaltered, and produced by an authorized party.Evidence IntegrityEvidence integrity is the guarantee that a record has not been altered, reordered, or fabricated since the event it describes actually occurred.Proof ArtifactA proof artifact is a compact, cryptographically signed record that commits to a business or AI event so it can be independently verified without exposing the underlying data.

Related questions

How do I verify a business event happened?How do I create a verifiable audit trail?

Related comparisons

Proof Infrastructure vs Traditional Evidence Collection

Next steps

See how this works end-to-end in the live demo, or read the cornerstone guide.

Launch Live Demo What is Proof Infrastructure?