Method and apparatus for certification of facts

A computer-implemented method for exchange of verifiable digital information, using a fact certification module, and a permanent storage system, the fact certification module comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein during a fact certification stage, the fact certification module performing the method comprising:

• receiving a digital fact for certification at the fact certification module from a fact presenter via the communication interface;
• issuing a digital certification data structure corresponding to the digital fact received for certification, wherein validity of the digital fact received for certification is verifiable by a receiver of the digital certification data structure;
• archiving the digital certification data structure in the permanent storage system;
• and
• wherein, during a fact verification stage, the receiver performs the method comprising:
• sending a verification request to a fact verification module via the communication interface, the request including any of a digital fact of interest, a digital digest of the fact of interest, or a unique fact identifier corresponding to the fact of interest;
• and
• receiving from the fact verification module via the communication interface a response to the verification request, the response comprising at least one of:
• a search result,
• a digital certification data structure retrieved from the permanent storage system, or
• a formatted response data structure;
• and
• wherein a witness certifier system performs the method comprising:
• maintaining a registry of witnesses, wherein an interested witness registers to be notified of all observed facts certified by the fact certification module or specifies a filter or condition that triggers a notification of an observed fact, said fact certification module including a digest of the fact and/or a list of all notified witnesses in said notification.

A computer-implemented method for exchange of verifiable digital information, using a fact verification module, and a permanent storage system, the fact verification module comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein, during a fact verification stage, the fact verification module performs the method comprising:

• receiving a verification request at the fact verification module from a fact receiver via the communication interface, the request including any of a digital fact of interest, a digital digest of the fact of interest, or a unique fact identifier corresponding to the fact of interest;
• accessing said permanent storage system;
• and
• returning to the fact receiver via the communication interface a response to the received verification request, the response comprising any of:
• a search result,
• a digital certification data structure retrieved from the permanent storage system, and
• a formatted response data structure;
• wherein the digital fact is received for certification at a fact certification module from a fact presenter via the communication interface;
• wherein during a fact certification stage, the fact certification module performs the method comprising:
• issuing a digital certification data structure corresponding to the digital fact, wherein validity of the digital fact is verifiable by the receiver;
• archiving the digital certification data structure in the permanent storage system;
• and
• wherein a witness certifier system performs the method comprising:
• maintaining a registry of witnesses, wherein an interested witness registers to be notified of all observed facts certified by the fact certification module or specifies a filter or condition that triggers a notification of an observed fact, said fact certification module including a digest of the fact and/or a list of all notified witnesses in said notification.