Compliance Glossary for Confluence

What does an evidence hash prove?

An evidence hash proves whether the checked bytes match the recorded bytes. Compliance Glossary uses SHA-256 across frozen records, file uploads, archive parts, and baseline manifests. A mismatch exposes change or corruption. A matching hash does not prove that the source was correct, legally valid, approved, or stored under WORM controls.

Last verified against production v6 · 26 September 2026

At a glance

InputActionOutputLimit
Frozen evidence valueSerialize the governed record in canonical formDeterministic SHA-256 valueValidates the recorded value, not its real-world truth
Uploaded fileCompare the supplied digest with received bytesAccepted file or integrity failureDoes not approve the file's content
Archive partRecalculate the part digestMatching or changed part stateDoes not make storage legally immutable
Baseline manifestRecalculate member and root evidenceVerification findings and computed rootCompleteness still depends on recorded scope and coverage

How it works

  1. Capture a governed revision or uploaded file.
  2. Calculate SHA-256 from the canonical bytes.
  3. Store the digest with the evidence identity.
  4. Select Run verification when evidence must be checked.
  5. Compare the computed digest with the recorded digest.
  6. Investigate every mismatch before using the package.

Example

A baseline contains a frozen policy revision and its recorded SHA-256 value. A later verification reads the deposited bytes and calculates the digest again. If one byte changed, the values differ and verification reports an integrity finding. If they match, the check confirms byte integrity only. It does not certify the policy.

What this does not mean

SHA-256 is an integrity mechanism. It does not establish authorship, approval, legal validity, source correctness, or regulatory compliance. Application hashes and content-addressed object keys are tamper evidence. They are not legal WORM storage.

Related questions

Next step

Use verification before relying on a deposited evidence package.

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Verification basis: production v6 code, tests, manifest, and operations guidance. Verified 26 September 2026.