Verification

How do I verify a business event happened?

The short answer

To verify a business event happened, check its proof artifact: a signed record that commits to the event details, attributes them to an authorized issuer, and anchors a timestamp. Cryptographic verification confirms the event occurred as claimed — independently, and without exposing the underlying data — turning "it happened" into something anyone can prove.

Explanation

Business events — approvals, transactions, decisions, workflow steps — are the atoms of accountability. Yet most are recorded only as trusted log entries, which cannot be confirmed by anyone outside the organization.

A proof artifact makes any business event verifiable. It commits to what happened, binds it to an authorized issuer, and anchors when it occurred, so any party can confirm the event independently and detect tampering.

How to do it

  1. 1Define the event and the facts that must be provable.
  2. 2Commit to the event data with a cryptographic hash.
  3. 3Generate a signed proof artifact with issuer authority and timestamp.
  4. 4Attach the proof to the event record.
  5. 5Verify the proof to confirm the event occurred as claimed.

Examples

Settlement reconciliation

A settlement batch emits a proof that the event occurred, verifiable by counterparties without dispute.

Contractual milestone

A milestone completion is proven, giving both sides verifiable evidence the event happened.

Related concepts

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.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.

Related questions

How do I independently verify evidence?How do I establish accountability across multiple parties?

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?