Legal · Verification Disclaimer
What Verification Status Means
Every verification credential CITAQ issues is designed to include a mandatory point-in-time disclaimer. This page explains the complete scope, limitations, evidence tier lifecycles, and jurisdiction-specific constraints of that verification.
Standard Verification Disclaimer
Required disclaimer — for issued credentials
"This credential represents point-in-time evidence verification. It does not constitute ISO 17065 certification, regulatory approval, or product performance guarantee."
Four required explicit negations — architecture PROHIBITION-006
Not ISO 17065
This credential does not represent conformity assessment body certification under ISO 17065 standards.
Not regulatory approval
This credential is not regulatory approval from any government body, standards organization, or regulatory agency.
Not performance guarantee
This credential does not guarantee that the product performs as claimed. It confirms evidence linkage only.
Not endorsement
This credential is not a product endorsement or commercial recommendation by CITAQ or any third party.
This disclaimer is a constitutional constraint (PROHIBITION-006) designed to be embedded in every issued credential. It cannot be disabled, customized, or removed by operators or administrators.
Point-in-Time Verification Explained
A credential issued on a given date confirms that on that date: the linked evidence was valid, the claims matched the evidence, and the evidence came from a recognized source. It makes no claim about the state of affairs before or after that date.
Evidence expires
When a laboratory certification or compliance document passes its expiry date, verification status is designed to update. Operators are notified on a defined schedule (see Notification Schedule below) before expiry.
Claims change
If product claims are modified after verification, affected claims revert to unverified status immediately. New evidence must be linked before the claim returns to verified status.
Evidence revoked
If a certifying body revokes a certificate, the linked verification status is invalidated. Revocation is designed to propagate across consumer surfaces promptly.
Evidence Tier Lifecycle
Evidence sources are classified into tiers based on source reliability and independence. Each tier has a defined recertification period. When evidence expires, a 30-day grace period begins before automatic downgrade.
| Tier | Source Type | Recertification | Grace Period | On Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L0 | Cryptographic / Blockchain attestation | Never | N/A | Permanent unless revoked |
| L1 | Physical in-person verification | Never (point-in-time) | N/A | Permanent record; claim state frozen at verification date |
| L2 | Structured data from authoritative body | 48 months | 30 days | Auto-downgrade to L1 (irreversible without fresh evidence) |
| L3 | Third-party laboratory / certification | 36 months | 30 days | Auto-downgrade to L1 (irreversible without fresh evidence) |
| L4 | Empirical / manufacturer-submitted evidence | 24 months | 30 days | Auto-downgrade to L1 (irreversible without fresh evidence) |
Downgrade is irreversible without fresh evidence. When an L2, L3, or L4 evidence source expires and the grace period elapses, the claim is designed to downgrade to L1 status automatically. To restore the original tier, new evidence from a qualifying source must be submitted and linked.
Evidence Expiry Notification Schedule
CITAQ is designed to send notifications on the following schedule before evidence expiry. Notifications are sent to the operator email on file and available in the platform dashboard.
| Timing | Notification Type | Action Required |
|---|---|---|
| 90 days before | Informational | None — awareness notification |
| 60 days before | Upcoming Warning | Begin evidence renewal process |
| 30 days before | Urgent Warning | Evidence renewal required |
| 7 days before | Final Warning | Immediate renewal required |
| 1 day before | Last Chance | Renewal deadline imminent |
| Day of expiry | Grace Period Begins | 30-day grace period active — status frozen |
| End of grace period | Tier Downgrade Executed | Evidence auto-downgraded — new evidence required |
Revocation Propagation
Revocation propagation
When a certifying body revokes a certificate, or when CITAQ issues an administrative revocation, the status change is designed to propagate across consumer surfaces promptly. Cache invalidation is triggered on revocation events.
Prompt
Read-your-own-revocations
Operators who trigger a revocation are designed to see it reflected in their own dashboard view, so they are not shown stale credentials after their own revocation action.
By design
Scope Limitations
| Verification Covers | Verification Does Not Cover |
|---|---|
| Claim-evidence linkage at point in time | Product safety guarantee |
| Evidence source validation and authentication | Product performance warranty |
| Credential timestamp and cryptographic signature | Legal compliance determination |
| Evidence freshness relative to issue date | ISO 17065 certification |
| Certifying body recognition and status | Regulatory agency approval |
| Jurisdiction-specific claim applicability (where configured) | Universal legal compliance |
High-Risk Category Rules
Certain product categories have structural constraints that override all verification workflows. These are not operator-configurable.
Medical products — hard block
Claims containing the words "cures", "treats", "heals", or "prevents disease" are designed to be blocked (HTTP 422) before reaching any verification workflow. This applies regardless of evidence submitted.
Verification of medical product claims does not constitute medical device approval, FDA clearance, or clinical validation (FDA 21 CFR 101.93). Consult qualified regulatory counsel for medical category compliance.
Batteries — EU DPP deadline
Battery products are subject to EU Digital Product Passport (EU DPP) requirements. EU DPP mandatory date for batteries: February 18, 2027.
Battery operators must have EU DPP-compliant evidence linked before this date. Verification credentials issued after the deadline without DPP evidence are designed to carry a compliance gap flag.
Electronics
Verification of electronics compliance claims (RoHS, WEEE, CE Marking, FCC) confirms evidence linkage to submitted documentation only. Regulatory approval determinations require qualified compliance assessment by a recognized certifying body. Textiles category: EU DPP mandatory compliance expected mid-2027.
Food and beverage
Food and beverage claims are designed to be subject to hard-block rules for prohibited health claims. Verification confirms evidence linkage to ingredient declarations, certifications, and sourcing documentation. It does not constitute FDA food safety approval or nutritional claim substantiation under FTC standards.
Jurisdiction-Specific Claim Adaptation
Chameleon Engine — jurisdiction fencing
CITAQ is designed to apply jurisdiction-specific claim fencing based on ISO 3166-1 country codes. Claims that are valid in one jurisdiction may be restricted or stripped in another.
| Claim | Rule | Transition |
|---|---|---|
| "FDA Approved" claim | Restricted in EU markets — FDA approval is a US-specific regulatory classification not recognized in the EU | US (valid) → EU (restricted) |
| CE Marking claim | Only valid for EU, EEA, and applicable global markets. Auto-restricted for markets without CE recognition | EU (valid) → Non-EU (flagged) |
| Health claims under EFSA | EU Regulation 1924/2006 health claim rules applied for EU-facing surfaces. Non-EU claims use local regulatory framework | Jurisdiction-specific → Jurisdiction-fenced |
Jurisdiction tagging is designed to be applied to issued credentials. Operators are responsible for ensuring their claims comply with the regulations of every jurisdiction where their products are sold. CITAQ's jurisdiction fencing reduces risk but does not constitute legal compliance determination.
Technical Enforcement
HTTP enforcement header
X-CITAQ-Verification: point-in-time X-CITAQ-Classification: verification-infrastructure X-CITAQ-Disclaimer: required
CITAQ's verification API is designed to include verification classification headers on responses. Consumers of the API must respect these headers.
VC schema constraint
credentialStatus: point-in-time disclaimerRequired: true expiryDate: ISO-8601 jurisdiction: ISO-3166-1
CITAQ's W3C Verifiable Credentials are designed to include embedded disclaimer fields; credentials cannot be issued without these fields.
HARD_BLOCK enforcement
HTTP 422 Unprocessable Entity Code: HARD_BLOCK_MEDICAL_DISEASE_CLAIM
CITAQ's claim validator is designed to return HTTP 422 for blocked submissions before any verification logic executes.
Badge watermark
watermark: point-in-time-verified timestamp: [credential-issue-date] disclaimer: embedded
Verification badges issued for Shopify and other platform integrations are designed to include an embedded watermark with issue timestamp and disclaimer reference.
Contact
Questions about verification status: verification@citaq.io
High-risk category inquiries: compliance@citaq.io
Prompt revocation propagation · Read-your-own-revocations