Cryptographic Integrity

Verify the Ledger

Every prediction in the Pundit Ledger is sealed with a SHA-256 hash chain. Anyone can verify that the record has never been altered — you don't have to take our word for it.

How it works

SHA-256 Hash Chaining

When a prediction is extracted and written to the ledger, the system computes two hashes:

prediction_hash

A SHA-256 digest of the prediction's core fields: timestamp|source_url|pundit_id|raw_assertion_text. This uniquely identifies the content of the prediction itself.

chain_hash

A SHA-256 digest of prediction_hash + previous_chain_hash. Each record in the ledger includes the hash of the record that came before it — forming an unbroken chain from the first prediction to the last.

Why this matters

If anyone modified even a single character of a stored prediction — the text, the timestamp, the pundit — the chain_hash would no longer match what it should be. Every subsequent record would also fail verification. A broken chain is detectable immediately and irrefutably.

Live status

Chain Status

The widget below fetches the current chain head directly from our ledger. The INTACT status indicates the ledger has passed a consistency read. For a full cryptographic walk of every record, use the /v1/integrity/verify API endpoint (API key required).

Fetching chain head…
Lookup

Verify a Single Prediction

Have a prediction_hash? Paste it below to confirm it exists in the ledger, see its chain position, and view the prediction summary.

DIY verification

How to Verify Independently

You don't need to trust our UI. Reproduce any hash from scratch using standard command-line tools.

1

Obtain the raw prediction fields

From a prediction card, copy the four canonical fields: ingestion_timestamp, source_url, pundit_id, and raw_assertion_text. These are always shown verbatim — no summarization or paraphrasing.

2

Construct the canonical input string

Join the four fields with a pipe separator in this exact order:

{ingestion_timestamp}|{source_url}|{pundit_id}|{raw_assertion_text}

The timestamp is ISO-8601 UTC. All fields are UTF-8 encoded. No trailing newline.

3

Compute the SHA-256 hash

Using any standard SHA-256 implementation:

# bash / macOS
echo -n "2024-09-01T12:00:00|https://...|adam_schefter|He'll get traded." \
  | sha256sum

# Python
import hashlib
data = "2024-09-01T12:00:00|https://...|adam_schefter|He'll get traded."
print(hashlib.sha256(data.encode()).hexdigest())
4

Compare with the stored hash

Paste the output hash into the lookup tool above, or compare it against the prediction_hash shown on the prediction card. If they match, the prediction is exactly as it was when originally recorded — byte for byte.

Full chain walk via API

To walk every record in the ledger and verify the complete hash chain, use the authenticated GET /v1/integrity/verify endpoint. An API key is required. See the API documentation for details.

Still have questions?

Read the full methodology for how predictions are extracted, scored, and why the ledger is immutable by design.