Record verification

1. Every message is fingerprinted the moment it is sent

When a message is sent in ParenThing, the system immediately calculates its digital fingerprint (a SHA-256 hash: a 64-character code that changes completely if even one letter of the message changes). The fingerprint is stored with the message. If a stored record were ever altered afterwards, its fingerprint would no longer match, and the pack would say so.

2. Every exported pack is registered

When an evidence pack is exported, its full contents are fingerprinted again and registered with the verification code printed on the document. Entering that code here shows you the register entry: when the pack was issued, what it contains, and its fingerprints.

3. The exact file is sealed

The finished PDF file itself is also fingerprinted at export. If you were sent the pack as a file, you can check it below: this page recalculates the fingerprint of your copy, on your device, and compares it to the sealed one. If anyone has edited the file in any way, even a single character in a PDF editor, the fingerprints will not match. Your file is never uploaded; the check happens entirely in your browser.

What a failed check means

A code that is not found, or a file whose fingerprint does not match, means the document you hold is not the record ParenThing issued. It should not be relied upon as genuine.