This step provides the most robust defence against failures, conspiracy or accident anywhere within the Codel Audit system.
The Master Document Hashes which result from the creation of the Codel Master Document Tables(MDT) are, of course, stored as securely as is digitally possible, along with all our other data. But then we also publish them in a number of reputable journals - with a combined circulation of not less than one million.
They are published within 24 hours of their creation.
Typically that means a small ad will appear in a newspaper along the following lines:
|
Codel
MDH for 13 January 2004
39EB4AA84863D04A7B3BC897867BF28BCD3FD9FF www.codelmark.com |
That single hash is the pinnacle of a hierarchy of hashes created on that day (or, more accurately, submitted to Codel on that day). It is the hash of our MDT for the day, which contains the hash values and timestamps of every file burned onto a particular CD before the data is made available as part of our online database.
Each of those files burned on to the CD, in turn, represents the top level hash of our Clients local hierarchy of hashes and these could number thousands of documents - all represented by the single hash they submit to Codel.
A CDR will typically hold around a million such files. So that this single published hash could represent the final link in the Audit Trail for literally billions of documents around the world.
What does publication do for us?
It places the hash irrefutably and irrevocably in the public domain.
Whatever happens, subsequently, to the digital data, whether by accident or design, we defy anyone to manipulate one million or more copies of the hash appearing in the World's most reputable print media. It is that final obstacle which provides the unprecedented level of assurance that Codel guarantees.
From that point on we can be completely certain of our ability to confirm or refute any single document on the audit trail which leads to that printed hash.
