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Timestamping (prove data existed at a time)

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Problem​

For IP, legal, and compliance workflows, you often need proof that:

  • a document existed at a specific time
  • the document has not been modified since
  • the proof remains available long-term

What Catalyst enables (conceptually)​

  • Tamper-evident proofs by anchoring a document hash on-chain
  • Attribution by signing the hash with an identity key
  • Persistence via replication across nodes

Steps (conceptual flow)​

  1. Compute a cryptographic hash of the file (the “fingerprint”).
  2. Sign the hash with the user/org key.
  3. Submit the signed hash + timestamp metadata on-chain (or store off-chain and anchor a commitment on-chain).
  4. Later, to verify:
    • recompute hash
    • verify the signature
    • verify the on-chain timestamp/commitment exists

Verify​

  • Demonstrate that changing a single byte in the document changes the hash.
  • Demonstrate the signature fails if the proof is tampered with.

Security​

Never publish sensitive document contents on-chain. Publish only:

  • hashes / commitments
  • minimal metadata (and only if non-sensitive)