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VIP-GOV-007

Governance Model​

1. Purpose​

This document defines the governance architecture of the VeriSeal Integrity Protocol (VIP).

It establishes:

  • Governance principles

  • Standard maintenance structure

  • Amendment procedures

  • Certification oversight

  • Conflict-of-interest safeguards

The objective is to ensure that VIP operates as a credible, neutral, and internationally scalable integrity standard.

2. Governance Principles​

The VeriSeal standard is governed by five core principles:

2.1 Neutrality​

The standard must remain:

  • Vendor-neutral

  • Infrastructure-neutral

  • Jurisdiction-neutral

No single entity may exercise unilateral control over protocol evolution.

2.2 Transparency​

All normative documents must be:

  • Publicly accessible

  • Version-controlled

  • Traceable

  • Archived

Amendments must include documented rationale.

2.3 Determinism​

Governance decisions must not alter:

  • Historical proof validity

  • Deterministic verification procedures

  • Backward compatibility guarantees (except via explicit versioning)

2.4 Independence​

The certification authority must be structurally separated from:

  • Commercial operators

  • Hosting providers

  • Anchoring providers

  • API vendors

This prevents systemic conflicts of interest.

2.5 Stability Over Agility​

VIP prioritizes long-term structural integrity over rapid feature evolution.

The protocol is designed for archival time horizons, not fast product iteration cycles.

3. Governance Structure​

3.1 Standard Authority​

The Standard Authority is responsible for:

  • Maintaining normative documents

  • Approving amendments

  • Overseeing certification framework

  • Maintaining registry integrity

The Authority must operate under a formal charter.

3.2 Technical Committee​

The Technical Committee:

  • Reviews proposed amendments

  • Evaluates security research

  • Updates threat model documentation

  • Proposes version increments

Members should include:

  • Cryptographic experts

  • Systems engineers

  • Institutional representatives

3.3 Certification Oversight Board​

The Oversight Board:

  • Supervises certification authorities

  • Reviews audit standards

  • Validates compliance processes

  • Handles disputes

4. Amendment Process​

Amendments follow a structured lifecycle:

  1. Proposal submission

  2. Technical review

  3. Public consultation (if applicable)

  4. Approval vote

  5. Version assignment

  6. Publication

4.1 Versioning Model​

VIP follows semantic structural versioning:

  • Major version: Structural change

  • Minor version: Additive change

  • Patch version: Clarification without structural impact

Backward compatibility must be explicitly declared.

5. Security Response Process​

When vulnerabilities are discovered:

  1. Responsible disclosure procedure activated

  2. Technical assessment conducted

  3. Impact classification assigned

  4. Mitigation guidance issued

  5. Amendment proposed (if necessary)

Threat model updates must reference VIP-THREAT-001.

6. Certification Governance​

VIP-GOV-007 governs:

  • Certification authority accreditation

  • Certification suspension procedures

  • Registry integrity validation

  • Label usage enforcement

Certification governance must remain independent from implementation vendors.

7. Internationalization Strategy​

VIP governance must allow:

  • Multi-jurisdiction adoption

  • Regional implementation without fragmentation

  • Cross-border interoperability

Localization must not alter core deterministic properties.

8. Registry Governance​

The public registry must ensure:

  • Immutable certification records

  • Public verification access

  • Revocation transparency

  • Historical traceability

Registry integrity is part of the governance responsibility.

9. Conflict of Interest Policy​

Any governance member must disclose:

  • Commercial interest in implementations

  • Financial interest in certification bodies

  • Direct participation in audit processes

Conflict must be mitigated through recusal.

10. Long-Term Objective​

The governance model aims to:

  • Enable transition toward formal international standardization

  • Preserve structural neutrality

  • Maintain institutional credibility

  • Avoid proprietary capture

VIP is intended to evolve from an industry-driven protocol into a globally recognized integrity reference.