Verify a certificate without Verifycate
Download the OpenTimestamps proof, check the Blockcerts MerkleProof2019 record, and confirm the Arweave content even if the certificate page is gone.
An anchor is only useful if someone can check it without asking the issuer to run a query.
The independent proof path is now complete. Download the .ots file and verify the Bitcoin timestamp offline against the Bitcoin chain. The credential exports a Blockcerts MerkleProof2019 proof, the format used by Blockcerts verifiers. The encrypted credential and name-masked presentation image are stored on Arweave, so the anchored content survives independently of the Verifycate page.
"Independently verifiable" should mean exactly that. A verifier with the proof and the certificate can check the timestamp without a Verifycate account, a Verifycate server, or a Verifycate employee. The anchor proves existence at a moment in time; authenticity still comes from the issuer signature.
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