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.

Chain of custody

The documented, unbroken record of when a piece of evidence was created and that it hasn't changed since. CaseStamp builds this automatically: every photo and video is timestamped and hashed the instant it's added, and both print in the report next to that entry, so anyone reading it can trace the item back to the moment it was captured.

GPS stamping / geotag

Attaching the location where something was captured to that entry. CaseStamp requests a fresh GPS fix at the moment you take a photo or record video and stamps the coordinates, plus an accuracy radius, onto that entry — never a cached or estimated location. If no fix is available, the entry still saves and is simply marked as having no location.

Timestamp

The exact date and time an entry was saved, set automatically the moment you capture a photo or video. It can't be edited anywhere in the app, before or after the fact — that's what makes it useful as evidence of when something happened.

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 incident or dispute you're documenting — a landlord issue, an insurance claim, a workplace problem. 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 (if available), SHA-256 hash, and optional note, and each prints as its own line item in the exported report. Logged conversations are tracked separately — see Communication log below — since they're not files and don't carry a GPS location or hash.

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.

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.

Currently available on Android; coming to iOS in the next update.

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, and hash.

Currently available on Android; coming to iOS in the next update.

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, hash, and any note. It's the artifact you actually hand to someone else — a landlord, an insurer, an employer, a lawyer.

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