Writing about evidence, including when you do not need us
Practical notes on proving what a source served. Each one names the cases where something else is the better answer, because a guide that only recommends its author is an advertisement.
Written 19 August 2026How to prove what a web page said
Five methods, what each one actually establishes, and how to choose. Includes the cases where a free archive or a rival product is the right answer and this one is not.
Is a screenshot evidence?
Yes, and weak evidence. How a screenshot gets challenged, and three free steps that make a capture much harder to dispute.
How to timestamp a file for free
Working commands for OpenTimestamps and RFC 3161, what each proof establishes, and the three places the free route stops.
How to prove when a web page changed
Monitoring tells you something moved; proving it needs a record on each side of the moment. Also, how to stop a footer clock reporting a change every hour.
RAG citations that can actually be checked
Grounding and provenance are two problems. Most teams have started on the first and have nothing for the second.
Article 12, and what a log has to survive
Record-keeping for high-risk AI systems became enforceable on 2 August 2026. What the obligation says, and the four things to do yourself before paying anyone.
Why these exist
Almost nobody searches for an evidence receipt API. People search for the problem: how to show what a page said before it changed, whether a screenshot counts for anything, what a regulator means by a tamper-evident log. These pages answer those questions properly, including where the honest answer is a free tool or a competitor.
If you want the mechanics instead, the API documentation is public, the log is countable, and receipts can be verified without an account.