Data and Auditability Specification

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Data and Auditability

Overview

The Data and Auditability Module is an AGPL-3.0+ licensed transparency infrastructure specification designed to ensure that information systems maintain verifiable sources, complete historical records, contributor accountability, and publicly accessible methodologies.

This specification defines the operational requirements for building a data accountability layer that enables users, organizations, researchers, and communities to verify how information is collected, modified, analyzed, and published.

The module provides a standardized framework for:

Source attribution
Claim verification
Timestamped data updates
Change tracking
Contributor review trails
Public methodology disclosure
Open-source transparency
Self-hosted deployments
API-based integrations

The goal of this specification is to create systems where important information can be independently reviewed, reproduced, audited, and trusted.

Module Purpose and Scope

The Data and Auditability Module provides a complete accountability framework for any platform that publishes, analyzes, stores, or distributes information.

The module ensures every major claim, dataset, modification, and analytical output can be traced through:

Original source material
Collection timestamp
Processing history
Contributor actions
Review decisions
Methodology documentation
Publication status

The module is designed for:

Civic information systems
Research platforms
Journalism platforms
AI systems
Government transparency tools
Financial analysis systems
Compliance platforms
Public accountability applications
Open knowledge systems

Core Design Principles

Transparency First

All meaningful data outputs must provide enough information for independent verification.

Systems implementing this module must avoid:

Hidden data sources
Undocumented transformations
Untracked modifications
Unexplained scoring systems
Closed audit processes

Provenance by Default

Every record, claim, analysis result, and published output must maintain provenance metadata.

Required provenance fields:

Source reference
Source type
Collection timestamp
Processing timestamp
Contributor identity
Review status
Verification status
Version history

Public Accountability

The system must make methodology, documentation, and audit information accessible.

Users must be able to understand:

Where information came from
How information was processed
Who reviewed changes
When updates occurred
What methodology produced results

System Architecture

The Data and Auditability Module consists of eight primary layers.

1. Source Attribution Layer

Responsible for recording and maintaining original information sources.

Capabilities:

Source URL storage
Document references
Publication metadata
Source credibility ratings
Archived source references
Source expiration tracking

Required source fields:

Source ID
Title
Publisher
Author
Publication date
Access date
Source URL
Archive location
Verification status

2. Claim Verification Layer

Responsible for linking major claims to supporting evidence.

Every significant claim must include:

Claim identifier
Claim statement
Supporting sources
Evidence references
Confidence level
Verification status
Reviewer notes

Claims must support:

Multiple source references
Contradictory evidence
Corrections
Historical versions

3. Timestamp Management Layer

Responsible for maintaining chronological records.

The system must record timestamps for:

Data creation
Data collection
Data modification
Review completion
Publication
Retirement

Required timestamp format:

Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
Machine-readable format
Human-readable display

Example:

Created:
2026-01-01T12:00:00Z

4. Change History Layer

The system must maintain a complete history of all modifications.

Every change event must record:

Previous value
Updated value
User or system responsible
Timestamp
Reason for change
Approval status

Change logs must be:

Append-only
Searchable
Exportable
Tamper-resistant

5. Contributor Review Trail Layer

Responsible for documenting human participation.

The system must track:

Contributors
Reviewers
Approvers
Editors
Automated processes

Required review information:

Reviewer identity
Review date
Review action
Review comments
Approval decision
Related evidence

6. Public Methodology Layer

All analytical processes must have public documentation.

Methodology documentation must include:

Purpose
Data inputs
Processing rules
Algorithms used
Limitations
Known biases
Update schedule
Version history

Methodologies must be version-controlled.

7. Open Source Transparency Layer

Implementations must provide transparency into:

Source code availability
Licensing
Dependencies
Security practices
Data handling procedures

Required documentation:

Architecture documentation
Installation instructions
Configuration documentation
API documentation
Contribution guidelines

8. Deployment Layer

The module must support self-hosted deployments.

Supported deployment requirements:

Local installation
Private servers
Community servers
Cloud environments
Containerized deployments

No mandatory dependency on centralized infrastructure is permitted.

Database Schema Requirements

Sources Table

Required fields:

source_id
title
publisher
author
url
archive_url
publication_date
access_timestamp
verification_status

Claims Table

Required fields:

claim_id
statement
created_timestamp
confidence_score
verification_status
methodology_version

Evidence Table

Required fields:

evidence_id
claim_id
source_id
evidence_type
supporting_information
reviewer_status

Audit Events Table

Required fields:

event_id
entity_type
entity_id
action_type
previous_state
new_state
contributor_id
timestamp

Contributors Table

Required fields:

contributor_id
display_name
role
contribution_count
verification_status

Operational Workflows

Source Collection Workflow

Identify original information source.
Record complete source metadata.
Validate source accessibility.
Assign unique source identifier.
Link source to related claims.
Record collection timestamp.
Submit for review.

Claim Publication Workflow

Create claim record.
Attach supporting evidence.
Document methodology used.
Assign confidence level.
Complete contributor review.
Publish claim with source links.
Maintain ongoing audit history.

Change Management Workflow

All modifications must follow:

Change request creation.
Reason documentation.
Contributor identification.
Modification execution.
Automated audit logging.
Reviewer approval.
Public history update.

Correction Workflow

Public correction requests must support:

Correction submission
Evidence attachment
Review process
Decision tracking
Public resolution record

Corrections must never erase historical information.

Original versions must remain available.

API Architecture Requirements

The module must provide API-ready access.

Required API capabilities:

Source retrieval
Claim retrieval
Evidence lookup
Audit history queries
Contributor activity lookup
Methodology retrieval
Export generation

API requirements:

Authentication support
Rate limiting
Version control
Documentation
Machine-readable responses

Data Export Requirements

The system must support exports including:

Complete audit history
Source records
Claim databases
Methodology documents
Contributor activity logs

Supported formats should include:

JSON
CSV
XML
Markdown reports

Security Requirements

Implementations must provide:

Access controls
Audit integrity protection
Encryption support
Backup procedures
Monitoring
Abuse prevention

Audit records must not be silently altered or deleted.

Self Hosted Deployment Requirements

A deployment must provide:

Installation documentation
Environment configuration
Database setup
Backup procedures
Upgrade instructions
Monitoring procedures

Recommended deployment options:

Linux servers
Container environments
Private cloud infrastructure
Community-operated infrastructure

Administrator Responsibilities

Administrators must:

Maintain system availability
Monitor audit integrity
Review access permissions
Maintain backups
Publish methodology updates
Respond to correction requests

Contributor Responsibilities

Contributors must:

Provide accurate sources
Document changes
Follow review procedures
Disclose conflicts of interest
Maintain evidence quality

Review Standards

Reviews should evaluate:

Source Quality

Questions:

Is the source identifiable?
Is the source accessible?
Is the source relevant?
Is the source reliable?

Evidence Quality

Questions:

Does evidence support the claim?
Are alternative interpretations documented?
Are limitations disclosed?

Methodology Quality

Questions:

Are methods reproducible?
Are assumptions documented?
Are calculations explainable?

Transparency Dashboard Requirements

Public dashboards should display:

Recently updated records
Source coverage
Audit activity
Correction requests
Methodology versions
Contributor activity

Dashboards must prioritize accessibility and readability.

AI Integration Requirements

If artificial intelligence systems are used, implementations must disclose:

AI model usage
Training data sources where available
Prompt or processing methodology
Human review procedures
Confidence limitations

AI-generated outputs must maintain provenance records.

Version Management

Every implementation must maintain:

Specification version
Database version
API version
Methodology version
Change history

Major changes require documentation.

Compliance Checklist

A compliant implementation must provide:

Source links for major claims
Timestamped updates
Complete change history
Contributor review trails
Public methodology documentation
Open-source transparency
Self-hosted deployment support
API-ready architecture
Export functionality
Correction request workflows
Audit integrity protections

Future Extensions

Potential extensions include:

Blockchain-based verification
Cryptographic document signatures
Decentralized evidence networks
Automated misinformation detection
AI-powered audit assistants
Cross-platform provenance exchange

Specification Branding License (SBL)

Standard

Fully AGPL-3.0+ compliant system
Copyleft enforced for network deployments
Required attribution:
- Roxanne Ardary
- roxanneardary.com

Optional

Specification Branding License (SBL)
- Attribution-free commercial deployment
- Pricing based on scale, usage, and deployment scope
- https://roxanneardary.com/data-and-auditability/

License & Notice Requirements

Data and Auditability Module Specification is released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+).
By contributing to any Open Arsenal project, you agree that your contributions will also be released under this license.

Please note the following:

All contributions must comply with the AGPL-3.0+ terms.
Under Section 7 of the license, all redistributions, forks, and derivative works must preserve attribution to:
Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com.
Data and Auditability Module specifications are free to use with attribution. A Specification Branding License can be negotiated upon request.
The project’s notice.md file tracks attribution requirements and contributor acknowledgments. Any update that adds new contributors or modifies attribution should also update notice.md.
When submitting a pull request, ensure that any new files maintain the attribution headers where applicable.
Network-deployed versions of this software must also remain fully AGPL-3.0+ compliant, including exposure of source code modifications when applicable under the license.

For full legal details, please refer to the AGPL-3.0+ license and the project’s notice.md file.

Notice – ActionCheck

Attribution Requirement: Under Section 7 of the AGPL 3.0+ license, all redistributions, forks, and derivative works, including network-deployed versions of this project, must provide attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com.

Contributors

This file tracks contributors and their specific contributions to the project.

Roxanne Ardary, roxanneardary.com – March 10, 2026
Created the repository for ActionCheck. Designed the platform to track politicians’ promises, votes, financial activity, and board memberships for public accountability.
[Add other contributors here] – [Date]
[Describe contribution in one sentence]

License

This repository is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPL-3.0+).

Key Points:

You are free to use, modify, and distribute the code.
All redistributions, forks, and derivative works or network-deployed versions must also be licensed under AGPL-3.0+ and provide attribution to Roxanne Ardary and roxanneardary.com as required under Section 7 of the license.
The software is provided “as is,” without warranty of any kind.

For the full license text, see GNU AGPL-3.0 License.