The evidential value of a dated PDF
Does a dated document count as proof? The short answer: it depends on who dates it, how, and what you are trying to prove. Let us sort it out, without the jargon.
01Dating is not the same thing as proving
When you upload a file, we record a date (an application timestamp) and a fingerprint of the content. That is useful for your own records: knowing when a document entered your archive, and checking that it has not changed since.
An application timestamp does not, however, carry the same weight as a qualified timestamp within the meaning of the European eIDAS regulation, which involves a trusted third party. For a high stakes use (litigation, an official filing), that is what you should be aiming at.
02What a dated upload usefully establishes
- A reasonable anteriority: "this document existed in this state on this date in my archive".
- Integrity: the fingerprint lets you show that the file has not been modified since it was uploaded.
- A trace of making it available: the date on which you shared a copy with a third party.
03The role of the frozen copy
When you publish a document, PDF Archive puts online a frozen and dated copy: a document that no longer changes, separate from your original, which stays private. That is precisely what makes a share usable as a reference: what the recipient read matches a precise state, on a precise date.
Good practice: keep the original private, share a frozen copy, and keep a record of the date it was shared.
04In short
For the everyday life of a practice, an association or a freelancer, a dated upload plus a fingerprint plus a frozen copy covers the essentials. For a serious legal matter, add a qualified eIDAS timestamp. PDF Archive gives you the first brick, simply, and in France.
This article is for information and does not constitute legal advice.