Glossary

Plain-language definitions of the terms you'll run into in the app and in an exported report, tied to what CaseStamp actually does with each one — not the general textbook definition.

SHA-256 hash

A 64-character fingerprint of a file's exact contents, computed the moment a photo or video is saved. If even one byte of the file changes later, the hash changes completely — so a matching hash proves the file hasn't been altered since it was captured. CaseStamp prints each entry's hash in the exported report so it can be checked independently with any standard hashing tool.

Tamper-evident

Means any change to a file after it was recorded can be detected — not that change is impossible. CaseStamp's SHA-256 hash makes alteration detectable by anyone with a standard hashing tool. It does not prevent someone from editing a copy; it makes the edit obvious. "Tamper-proof" would mean change is impossible, which no software can claim about a file on your own device.

Timestamp

The exact date and time an entry was saved, set automatically the moment you capture a photo or video. It's set at save time and sealed against later edits — any change is detectable — which is what makes it useful as a record of when you captured it.

Chain of custody

In law, the documented chronology of who handled a piece of evidence and when it changed hands. CaseStamp doesn't track handoffs between people. What it provides is the front end of that record: proof of when each item was captured and that it hasn't changed since. Whether that's sufficient in a given proceeding is determined by applicable law.

GPS stamping / geotag

Attaching the location where something was captured to that entry. CaseStamp requests a GPS fix at the moment you take a photo or record video and stamps the coordinates, plus an accuracy radius, onto that entry. The device may reuse a fix from the previous 30 seconds to keep capture fast, but never an older or estimated position. If no fix is available, the entry still saves and is simply marked as having no location.

Evidence log

CaseStamp's core structure: a running, timestamped record of photos, video, notes, and logged communications tied to a specific situation. It's what a case becomes once you start adding entries to it.

Case

A single situation, incident, or moment you're documenting — a repair issue, an accident, a workplace problem, or anything else you want on record. Everything you add to it (photos, video, notes, communication log entries) belongs to that one case, and each case exports as its own report.

Entry

One photo or video inside a case, numbered in the order it was added. Each entry carries its own timestamp, GPS location and accuracy radius (if available), SHA-256 hash, and optional note, and each prints as its own line item in the exported report. Photo and video entries also carry a Source (see below). Logged conversations are tracked separately — see Communication log below — since they're not files and don't carry a GPS location or hash.

Source

Where a photo or video entry came from: "Captured in CaseStamp" for one taken with Take photo or Record video, "Added from library" for a photo added with From library (video has no library-import option, so every video entry is a capture), or "Not recorded (logged before source tracking was added)" for an entry saved before this existed for its media type — never assumed to be a capture just because it isn't labeled. Source only prints in a case if at least one entry in it has one; a case entirely of older entries prints with no Source information at all.

Communication log

The record of phone calls, in-person conversations, and other exchanges you log for a case — kept separate from photo and video entries. Add one by tapping + Already talked to someone? Log it now while creating a case, or + Log a conversation from inside an existing one, capturing who you spoke with, how, their contact info, and what was said. It prints in its own Communication log section of the report, apart from the numbered entries.

Status

Every case starts as Open. From inside the case, change it to In Progress, No Action, or Resolved as things develop. Open, In Progress, and No Action all count as open; Resolved is the only status that closes a case. Status prints in the exported PDF report.

Days open

A running count of days since a case was first created, shown on-screen, in the copy-as-text report, and in the exported PDF report for any case not marked Resolved. It stops once a case is marked Resolved — a Resolved case shows "—" instead of a count.

Case notes

A free-text narrative field for a case as a whole — things like arrival time, what happened, or references to specific entries. Case notes autosave as you type and print near the top of the report, right after the case details.

Per-entry notes

A short note attached to one specific photo or video, for context that belongs to that item rather than the whole case. Per-entry notes autosave and print in the report's NOTES column beside that entry's timestamp, GPS with accuracy, and hash.

PDF export

The document a case produces when you export, share, or print it: a form-style layout with the case details up top and every entry listed in order below, each with its timestamp, GPS with accuracy, hash, and any note. It's the artifact you actually hand to someone else — a landlord, an insurer, an employer, a lawyer — or simply keep for your own records.

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