Service scope
ExistBefore provides cryptographic proof of existence and temporal integrity for digital content. It attests that a specific SHA-256 hash was registered at a specific time. It is not a legal opinion, not a copyright registration, not an automatic proof of authorship, and not a substitute for legal advice or formal registration procedures.
What the service attests
- T0: An ECDSA P-256 digital signature over the hash and timestamp, issued immediately by CertiSigma.
- T1: A qualified electronic timestamp under eIDAS (EU Regulation 910/2014, Art. 41), issued asynchronously via Merkle-tree batch and accredited TSA provider.
- T2: A Bitcoin blockchain anchor via OpenTimestamps, providing long-term decentralized verifiability.
What the service does not attest
ExistBefore does not attest authorship, ownership, intellectual property rights, content accuracy, or legal validity of the underlying material. The attestation is neutral: it records a timestamp, not a judgment.
User responsibility
Users are responsible for the content they attest, the safekeeping of their PDF certificate, the meaning they assign to the proof, and any downstream legal or commercial use. ExistBefore does not provide legal advice.
Privacy and content handling
Original content never leaves the user's device. Only the SHA-256 hash (32 bytes) is transmitted. No user accounts are created. No personal data is stored. See the privacy summary for details.
Independent verification
The service is designed so that verification does not depend on trusting the ExistBefore website. Users can verify the hash, signature, and timestamp independently using the public CertiSigma API, the signing public key, or any standard cryptographic library.
Availability of proof layers
T0 is immediate. T1 (qualified timestamp) typically completes within one hour. T2 (Bitcoin anchor) typically completes within 24–48 hours. These timings depend on external providers and blockchain confirmation. ExistBefore does not guarantee specific completion times for T1 and T2.
Service provider
ExistBefore is operated by Ten Sigma Sagl, Switzerland, through the CertiSigma infrastructure. For questions, contact via certisigma.ch.