Verifying a Custody Proof report

Every PDF report you make on the Reports page, the Evidence page or the Expenses page carries a short verification code. It lets you, your attorney, or anyone you hand the file to confirm that the PDF matches the file registered for that code when the report was generated.

When you export a report, your browser builds the PDF, computes its fingerprint and registers that fingerprint with Custody Proof within minutes of the export. A code can be registered once, and only in that short window after the export, so a file registered later can never claim an earlier report's code.

This article explains what the code is, what the last page of each report says, and how to check a file.

What the code looks like

The code is printed in small gray type at the bottom of every page of the report, like this:

Verification code CP-7K2M-Q9XD · verify at custodyproof.com/verify

It always starts with CP- followed by eight letters and numbers in two groups of four. The same code is printed once more, in large type, on the report's final page so it is easy to read off a printed copy.

Each report gets its own code. If you export the same report twice, the two files have two different codes, and each code only matches its own file.

The "About this report" page

The last page of every report is titled About this report. In plain language, it says:

• when the report was generated, with the time zone, and that Custody Proof (operated by Archuleta Group LLC) generated it from records you entered;
• that where a record shows an "Added" or "Logged on" date, that is when the record was first entered into Custody Proof, which can be different from the date of the event it describes;
• that you can edit or delete your records, and the report shows them as they stood when it was made;
• that Custody Proof does not independently verify the events, statements or amounts in your records;
• the verification code and how to use it.

The page is there so a reader understands what the document is and is not. It does not make any promise about how a court will treat the report. That is a question for your attorney.

How to check a report

Anyone can do this, with or without a Custody Proof account:

1. Go to custodyproof.com/verify.
2. Type the code from the bottom of any page. Capital letters, lowercase and missing dashes are all fine.
3. Click Choose PDF (or drop the file onto the page) and pick the report file.
4. Click Check.

You will see one of these results:

If you enter only the code and no file, the page tells you which kind of report the code belongs to, when it was generated and how many pages it has, so you can tell whether you are holding the right document.

Your file stays on your device

The check runs in your web browser. The PDF is never uploaded to Custody Proof. Your browser computes a fingerprint of the file (a long number that changes completely if a single character in the file changes) and compares it with the fingerprint registered for the code when the report was generated.

The verification page shows only the report type, when it was generated and registered, its page count and that fingerprint. It never shows your name, your children's names or anything inside your records.

If a report has no code

If Custody Proof can't reach its servers at the moment you export (for example, you lost your connection), the report still downloads, just without a verification code. Your export is never blocked. Export it again once you're back online if you want a verifiable copy.

Printed copies

The code is printed on paper copies too, so a reader can look it up. But only the PDF file can be checked against the registered file. A paper copy or a scan is a different file, so it will not match. If someone needs to confirm a report, send them the original PDF.

Related articles

• Reports and exports
• Account and privacy
• The evidence vault