Fingerprint
Understand the basics
Although the platform should show the Versions for almost all of the contents, it’d still be possible for a system administrator to manipulate the content by editing the database directly.
As mitigation for this risk, the platform shows a fingerprint for some important fields, for instance, a proposal body and title.
Its goal is to provide a way to give an informal "receipt" to a participant so they can detect tampering. A fingerprint is a hashed representation of the content. It’s useful to ensure the content hasn’t been tampered with, as a single modification would result in a totally different value. It’s calculated using a SHA256 hashing algorithm. In order to replicate it yourself, you can use a MD5 calculator online and copy-paste the source data.
Check fingerprint
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Go to the content for which you want to verify the fingerprint
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Click in the "Check fingerprint" link at the bottom of the page
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Copy the source field value
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Go to a MD5 calculator online (External link) and copy-paste the source data
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Check that fingerprint are the same
It’s also possible to verify the fingerprint with other tools, such as the sha256sum command line tool.
echo -n '{"body":{"en":"This proposal suggests creating a green corridor that connects the north and south districts of Chakar via a bicycle and pedestrian-only route. The corridor would pass through the city center and industrial areas, providing a safe, dedicated path for non-motorized transport, with shade trees, rest spots, and solar-powered lighting."},"title":{"en":"Green Corridor for Cyclists and Pedestrians"}}' | sha256sum