Verification and Work Proofs
- Version
- 1.0 (draft)
- Published
- [Publication date]
- Effective
- [Effective date]
Draft, pending counsel review. Not in force. What this means
Signing in is not the same as being verified, and each check proves one narrow thing. Work Proofs record paid work; they carry no monetary value and cannot be traded.
1. Signing in is not verification
Authentication is how you sign in: an email code, a social account such as GitHub or Google, or a wallet signature. It proves you control that login. It does not prove who you are.
Verification is a separate, optional check that confirms one specific fact. A connected account is not a verified identity, and Aligner never labels it as one.
2. The checks
Each check stands on its own. Passing one says nothing about the others. A team may require a check on a request; otherwise checks are optional.
| Check | How it works | What it proves | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact | A code sent to your email | You can receive mail at that address | Who you are |
| Wallet | You sign a message with the wallet | You control that wallet address | Who owns the funds, or where they came from |
| Personhood | A third-party provider runs its own check | The provider's check passed under its stated method | Your legal identity |
| Identity | A third-party provider checks an identity document | The provider matched you to a document | Skills, conduct or eligibility to work |
Providers keep any documents and biometric data under their own terms. Aligner receives and shows only whether a check passed, when, and the provider's name. Teams see the same pass or fail result, never the underlying documents.
3. Self-reported information
Skills, capabilities, experience, languages and availability that you enter yourself are labeled self-reported. Aligner does not check them.
Teams should treat self-reported information as a claim, not a fact. Misrepresenting it breaks the Acceptable Use Policy.
4. Track records
A contributor's track record is built only from assignments that were paid through escrow. It is not editable by the contributor, the team or Aligner staff, except to correct an error under this section.
An organization's record shows its payment and dispute history: requests funded, assignments paid, rejections and how disputes ended.
Correction and appeal
If a record is wrong, for example because a dispute outcome was reversed or a payment was recorded incorrectly, ask for a correction at [legal@aligner.network]. We will review it, correct factual errors, and explain our decision. If you disagree, you can complain through the process in Reporting Content.
5. Appearing in matching
Contributors appear in matching results only if they turn on Appear in matching in their settings. You can turn it off at any time.
Turning it off removes you from new matching runs. Records already shared with a team for an existing request stay with that team. How matching ranks people is explained in Reporting Content.
6. Work Proofs
A Work Proof is a record that Aligner issues for each assignment paid through escrow. One paid assignment produces one Work Proof.
- Aligner issues it as a soulbound token on the Solana blockchain: it is tied to the contributor's wallet and cannot be transferred, sold or lent.
- The token holds only a cryptographic hash. No names, handles, amounts, request titles or other personal data are written onchain.
- The public verify page resolves the hash against Aligner's offchain record and shows what the contributor and the team have agreed to show.
Naming the team
A team may choose not to be named on Work Proofs. In that case the proof and the work history read "a private team" and "Private request" for everyone except the contributor. A contributor may also choose not to show the team's name.
7. Badges and tiers
Badges are derived from Work Proofs. They include capability tiers, awarded at 1, 3, 10 and 25 paid assignments in a capability, and achievements for defined milestones. Organizations earn buyer badges from the requests they fund and pay.
A badge says only what its definition says. It is not an endorsement, a certification or a guarantee of quality.
8. No monetary value
Work Proofs and badges have no monetary value. They are not currency, securities, investments, collectibles or property you can sell. They cannot be traded, and Aligner will never offer to buy them back.
Nothing Aligner says about a Work Proof or badge is a promise that it will gain value or bring you work.
9. Revocation and burning
Aligner may revoke a Work Proof or badge if:
- the work behind it was fraudulent, collusive or wash work;
- the outcome behind it was reversed, for example after a dispute;
- it was issued in error.
A revoked proof stays onchain but shows as revoked on the verify page. You may burn a Work Proof held in your wallet at any time. Burning cannot be undone.
10. Deletion and the blockchain
Data written to a blockchain cannot be erased. That is why Aligner writes only a hash onchain.
If you ask us to delete your data, we delete the offchain record that links the hash to you. The hash then points to nothing and no longer identifies you. See your rights in the Privacy Policy.
Version history
- Version 1.0 (draft)[Publication date]First draft for counsel review.