2.3 Verification Model
A trust infrastructure cannot depend on operator assertion.
Verification must be independently executable.
Verification Steps
- Recompute canonical payload
- Recompute SHA-256 digest
- Validate Merkle inclusion (if applicable)
- Validate ledger chaining
- Validate optional OTS anchoring
- Validate optional PDF signature
No proprietary server logic is required.
Public JSON Principle
Public JSON is the source of truth.
PDF is render-only.
Verification must remain possible even if:
- The operator ceases activity
- The commercial entity changes
- Infrastructure migrates
Transparency Without Data Leakage
Public verification exposes:
- Commitments
- Hashes
- Integrity facts
It does not expose:
- Private content
- Confidential payloads
- Sensitive metadata
This separation is structural.
Institutional Confidence
Independent reproducibility enables:
- Regulatory review
- Forensic audit
- Cross-border verification
- Long-term archival validation
VeriSeal minimizes trust. It maximizes reproducibility.