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Evidence And State

The OpenETR protocol layer represents and links end-verifiable evidence concerning a Digital Artifact. Signed records form a DCR; cryptographic and structural checks validate that evidence; an identified ruleset determines what Consequential State follows. Control is one possible subject of that state, not the name for every event or every consequence.

Digital Artifact And Digital Controllable Record

A Digital Artifact is the persistent content identified by cryptographic digest, normally SHA-256. A Digital Controllable Record (DCR) is one signed, end-verifiable record or a graph of related records concerning that artifact.

The DCR carries evidence. Its presence does not, by itself, establish that the events are valid, that consequential state or a current controller can be derived, or that the artifact is recognized.

The object may be:

  • a PDF;
  • a JSON artifact;
  • a signed document bundle;
  • a verifiable credential;
  • another canonical electronic record.

OpenETR does not need to parse the object to associate DCR evidence with it. It needs the digest.

When evaluation of the DCR under an identified ruleset establishes Consequential State for the Digital Artifact, it becomes a Digital Original in the technical OpenETR sense.

Anchor Event

An Anchor Event forms a one-record candidate DCR. Evaluation of that DCR under OpenETR Core Record Ruleset 1.0 establishes candidate anchored state.

It binds:

  • object digest;
  • issuer profile;
  • event kind;
  • event id;
  • event signature;
  • structured metadata tags.

Evidence Events

Evidence Events express later signed statements or actions concerning the same Digital Artifact. Core Record Ruleset 1.0 defines notice. Other actions only have state consequences when an extension ruleset defines them.

Registered and proposed actions include:

Action Meaning
initiate Initiate a transfer.
accept Accept a transfer.
encumber Record a pledge, lien, restriction, or other encumbrance.
discharge Release a prior encumbrance.
redeem Present or redeem the object.
terminate Complete or end the active lifecycle.
attest Publish an attestation about an object, actor, or context.
notice Record the Anchor Publisher's signed position concerning the artifact.

Graph Reconstruction

The Evidence Graph is reconstructed from signed events:

  • o identifies the Digital Artifact by digest;
  • e links to a prior event;
  • p identifies an action-specific participant;
  • action identifies the Evidence Event subtype;
  • action-specific tags such as enc, type, notice_type, and ref add structured context.

The Control Graph is the portion of that Evidence Graph to which a transferable-record ruleset assigns control consequences. The graph is portable evidence. Cryptographic and structural checks validate the DCR as a whole, and an identified ruleset determines what Consequential State follows. Recognition separately decides whether to accept that result for a purpose and what effect to give it.

validated DCR evidence -> identified ruleset -> Consequential State
Consequential State -> recognition -> effect

Nostr carries the events. An identified OpenETR ruleset determines their consequences.

Applications may cache and display a projection of the state, but they do not own it. See Consequential State.

Source Specs