How it works
A stamp answers a narrow question: did this file already exist, in this exact form, at a given moment. The steps below say what we record, why the original stays with you, what that record can do in a dispute, and how you should keep the file after you stamp.
01
You drop a file into the browser. Web Crypto computes SHA-256 (FIPS 180-4). The same file yields the same digest on any computer. One changed pixel, or one extra space, yields a different digest. The source file is not uploaded. We record the digest, the time of the stamp, and a certificate ID.
02
If the site hosted the manuscript, the other side could argue that the operator altered it, or never saw it. Leaving the bytes with you, and the fingerprint in the record, keeps those roles apart.
It also keeps your work private. We do not need to see the image, copy, world bible, or audio in order to mark that exact byte sequence. The cost is clear: you must keep a copy that matches the certificate byte for byte. If the original is lost, nobody can tie a file back to the fingerprint.
03
The fingerprint stands for this sequence of bytes. In practice it uniquely identifies that unaltered file. You cannot recover the work from the fingerprint.
It does not mean you are the author. It does not mean the work is original in the legal sense. Anyone can stamp a file, including someone else’s file. The fingerprint only answers: the bytes that were stamped looked like this.
04
The time is the moment you completed the stamp on this site. Certificates and lists across the site are shown in UTC for everyone; they do not switch to your device’s local timezone. The operations log groups entries by UTC calendar days. The server writes that time as the first record. It is not the date the work was created. You can stamp a file long after you finished it. The certificate will still show the stamp moment.
A server clock can be questioned. After the stamp we also anchor the fingerprint in Bitcoin and write it to the operations log. Confirmation usually takes a few hours. Until then the certificate shows that the anchor is pending.
05
After a stamp, the fingerprint is anchored in a Bitcoin block. Confirmation usually takes a few hours. For you, the time is no longer only in IdeaProofNow’s database. This is still not a notary instrument, and it is not a licensed trusted timestamp. File those separately if you need them.
06
Each certificate fingerprint is written, in order, to an append-only public list. After the day closes, that day’s summary is also anchored in Bitcoin.
Other people can see which day your ID appeared. The log publishes IDs, times, and fingerprints. It does not publish the original file.
07
You can send the certificate ID. The verify page compares the ID, title, time, and fingerprint. If they drop the same file and the SHA-256 matches, the bytes were not altered.
The record lives on the server and is public to look up. Anyone can open the verify page and enter the ID you share. An ID alone does not prove that the person who sent it is the author.
08
If you produce an original whose hash matches the certificate, a third party can check that this exact file was already recorded at the time written on the certificate. In a dispute, that is usually supporting material: the file existed in this form no later than that time.
You can use it together with drafts, mail, chats, publication records, and official copyright filings. Electronic data can be submitted as evidence in many places. Courts and arbitral bodies still test authenticity, legality, and relevance, and they decide how much weight to give it. IdeaProofNow does not give legal opinions, does not litigate for you, and does not promise that a certificate will be accepted.
09
The fingerprint matches the bytes at the moment of the stamp. Change one pixel, one space, or save a new export, and the digest will no longer match this certificate. A mismatch at verification means the file you show is not the file that was recorded. After any change, stamp again.
Store the work with care. You are its only custodian.
The notice on the scope page controls. Read the Scope note · What it is · Compare · Operations log
Ready to timestamp
Buy one file, get two stamps. Credits do not expire. Verification stays free.
