2020-11-05 15:28:56 -07:00
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# Proofs
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2020-11-05 19:39:36 -07:00
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## Definition
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A **proof** is one of the two pieces of data needed to verify an online
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identity, the other being a [claim](claims.md).
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Usually, the proof is a JSON document provided by the service provider
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containing publicly-available data of the user. This data may contain the
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username and a biography. Currently, a lot of service providers are supported
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because of the ability to write a proof statement inside a biography or
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something similar. Other service providers are supported by entering the proof
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statement in a post, in which case said service provider must provide JSON data
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for each post.
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With regards to identity verification, **the presence of a claim inside a proof
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verifies that claim.**
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See [claims](claims.md) for details on how proofs and claims are
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(programmatically) related to each other.
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A proof can also be a text of any length. This changes nothing about the
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definition above. It only means the search for the claim is simpler: no
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traversing a JSON document, just find the claim inside the text and the claim is
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verified.
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