SSMDE — The Stamp: Time, Order, Integrity, and Memory (13.0–13.8)

One-line proof that locks what, when, and in which sequence — without a central gatekeeper.

13.0 Overview
stamp turns an SSMDE record from “a message that flew by” into “a signed moment.” It records time, binds content, and links order, so later anyone can verify what was known, when it was known, and in which sequence.

13.1 What stamp is
A short, append-only chain line that (1) records when the record existed, (2) binds exactly which bytes were claimed, and (3) links to the previous record so order is provable. Including stamp is a willingness to be held to your own timeline.

13.2 Canonical stamp shape
Illustrative ASCII form:

SSMCLOCK1|2025-10-31T14:05:22Z|θ=132.77|sha256=9fde1c...|prev=72af0b...
  • Scheme (SSMCLOCK1) — how to parse/verify.
  • Time (2025-10-31T14:05:22Z) — human-checkable UTC.
  • Physical/cycle anchor (θ=132.77) — reality-cross-check.
  • Digest (sha256=...) — hash of the record’s fields.
  • Link (prev=...) — pointer to prior digest for ordering.

13.3 What each piece means

  • SSMCLOCK1: declares the stamping scheme.
  • Timestamp: answers “When did you know?” in plain UTC.
  • θ (or equivalent): binds to physical/positional state to deter pure clock forgery.
  • sha256=…: integrity of value/align/band/manifest_id(+context).
  • prev=…: deletion/reordering becomes visible; gaps are evidence.

13.4 Why stamping differs from normal logging
Debug logs are editable, private, and arguable. stamp travels with the record, is independently checkable, and forms a local, tamper-evident chain. It upgrades “we said” to “we can prove we said, then.”

13.5 How stamp defends you in disputes
Disputes collapse to: Was it AMBER or RED, when, and did we act in time? The stamped chain shows the band under a named manifest_id, the moment, and subsequent actions — protecting operators who followed policy.

13.6 When stamp becomes essential
Mandatory for industrial safety, finance/treasury, AI auto-action in regulated paths, and chemistry/process safety — anywhere timing/order proof affects harm, liability, or compliance. Optional only for low-risk pilots.

13.7 Minimal stamp generation recipe

  1. Freeze fields: deterministically serialize value, align, band, manifest_id, + critical context.
  2. Hash: compute digest (e.g., sha256).
  3. Time: add verifiable UTC.
  4. Physical/cycle anchor: e.g., θ, frame index, shaft angle.
  5. Chain: set prev = prior digest (or ORIGIN for first).
  6. Scheme name: prefix with declared scheme (e.g., SSMCLOCK1).

13.8 Quick verification checklist

  • Continuity: each prev equals the previous digest.
  • Integrity: recompute digest from stored fields → must match.
  • Time vs physical: timestamp consistent with the anchor.
  • Policy replay: band matches the manifest_id cutpoints/timers; next actions occurred within declared windows.

One-line takeaway

stamp = portable timeline truth: a short chain line that proves time, order, and content for every SSMDE record, so neither risk nor responsibility can be quietly rewritten.

Navigation
Previous — SSMDE — The Manifest: Freezing Policy in Time (12.0–12.6)
Next — SSMDE — Independence, Legal Position, and Interoperability (14.0–14.6)

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