◆ Content provenance
Check the file against the exact bytes you recorded.
You have a file in an archive and a receipt from the day it was recorded, and you want to know whether the two still agree. The comparison uses every byte in the file, including embedded metadata. Renaming the file without changing its bytes can match; removing embedded metadata or recompressing can change the fingerprint.
The fingerprint you compare against is in Base’s public transaction history, where we cannot change it. Keep the exact original file and receipt. Re-saving or re-exporting can change the bytes even when the file looks the same; if the bytes change, the fingerprint will not match.
What happens if we shut down →A finalized record means we observed a successful Base L2 receipt, not Ethereum settlement. Independent checking needs the retained file, receipt and suitable Base history access. Read the evidence limits.
◦ Use cases
Ways to use a dated file record
Source-version checkpoint
Retain the exact source bytes and processing rule needed to reproduce the submitted digest.
Compare the exact original
External filenames and filesystem attributes are not file bytes. Embedded metadata is: stripping it or transforming the media can change the digest. Keep the original before sharing through a platform.
Provenance packet
Combine the checkpoint with separately validated credentials, identity, capture, and edit-history records when those conclusions matter.
▸ FAQ
Common questions, answered plainly.
Will a copy downloaded from a platform still match?
Only if its bytes are unchanged. Renaming a file or changing external filesystem attributes does not change its fingerprint. Embedded metadata is part of the file: stripping it or recompressing can change the bytes and fingerprint. Keep the exact original.
Can this tell me whether an image was AI generated?
No. That is a detection question, and a fingerprint says nothing about how the pixels were produced.
Does it add a watermark or a credential to my file?
No. Nothing is added to the file at all, which is why the file never has to leave your computer. The file you record is the file you keep, unchanged.
Do I need an account?
No account is needed to check a file or download the independent verifier. Create an account and verify your email to notarize files and manage your records.