Art Clearance Certification
ACC evidence model and verification boundaries
A technical guide for partners to declarations, links to exact audio files, public certificate status and independently verifiable timestamp evidence.
1. Declaration and file binding
A declaration names a declarant, a class and a recording. SHA-256 binds the record to one set of file bytes. The file hash is not an acoustic fingerprint; transcoding or metadata edits may change it. Compare a new export's hash with the original record: a different hash requires a separate declaration for that file, even if the ISRC is unchanged. The browser workflow computes this hash locally and does not upload raw audio.
2. Recorded events and timestamp batches
ACC records certificate events in batches and calculates a shared hash for each batch, the Merkle root. OpenTimestamps creates evidence that can later be checked for Bitcoin confirmation. Pending, submitted and confirmed are separate stages. A verified timestamp lets you check that the recorded data has not changed and that its hash existed before a specified time. It does not establish the historical recording date or the truth of the declaration.
3. Status and identity evidence
Certificate status can change without invalidating the cryptographic integrity of its earlier record. Mailbox control is not government identity, authorship or authority verification. A hash of an external signed file is not signature validation. HUMAN LEGACY uses a separate metadata basis and an ACC issuer signature.
4. Partner integration
Choose the interface that matches your use: public record reads, partner application sessions through Gateway, or submissions linked to an account. Each has its own data schema and authentication requirements. For partner submissions, use the environment and credentials provided for that interface, including Gateway where required. Access to the public website does not grant permission to submit declarations through a partner API. Before starting submissions, confirm access, submission limits, error handling and retry behavior with ACC.
How timestamp proofs work
The OpenTimestamps documentation explains the timestamp mechanism used for ACC records. It does not verify a declaration's truth or endorse ACC.