In development — The WitnessChain plugin is under active development. The interface is defined but implementation is in progress.
WitnessChain plugin
WitnessChain provides infrastructure-based proof-of-location through network latency triangulation. Independent challenger nodes measure round-trip times to a prover, then use the speed-of-light constraint to verify the prover’s claimed location. This is fundamentally different from device-based proofs like ProofMode — the evidence comes from the network infrastructure, not the user’s device.
How it works
- A prover registers their claimed location with WitnessChain
- Independent challenger nodes send network challenges
- Challengers measure round-trip latency and compare against speed-of-light bounds
- If the measured latency is consistent with the claimed location, the challenge succeeds
- Results include ECDSA-signed attestations from each challenger
This approach provides location evidence that doesn’t depend on the prover’s device being trustworthy — the evidence comes from independent network observers.
Current status
The plugin is in development on the develop branch. The interface is fully defined:
class WitnessChainPlugin implements LocationProofPlugin {
readonly name = 'witnesschain';
readonly version = '0.1.0';
readonly runtimes: Runtime[];
readonly requiredCapabilities: string[];
readonly description = 'WitnessChain proof-of-location via network latency triangulation';
collect(options?: CollectOptions): Promise<RawSignals>;
create(signals: RawSignals): Promise<UnsignedLocationStamp>;
sign(stamp: UnsignedLocationStamp, signer: StampSigner): Promise<LocationStamp>;
verify(stamp: LocationStamp): Promise<StampVerificationResult>;
}
Planned capabilities
| Method | Description | Status |
|---|
collect() | Fetch challenge results from WitnessChain API | In development |
create() | Parse challenge results into location stamp | In development |
sign() | Sign stamp with prover key | In development |
verify() | Verify challenger ECDSA signatures and challenge consistency | In development |
Challenge result structure
Each WitnessChain challenge produces:
interface WitnessChainChallengeResult {
id: string;
challenger: string; // Ethereum address of challenger node
claims: { // Prover's claimed location
latitude: number;
longitude: number;
radius: number;
};
result: {
challenge_succeeded: boolean;
ping_delay: number; // Measured latency
};
message: string; // JSON-encoded challenge data
signature: string; // ECDSA signature from challenger
consolidated_result: {
KnowLoc: boolean; // WitnessChain's location assessment
KnowLocUncertainty: number;
verified: boolean;
};
}
Why WitnessChain matters for multifactor proofs
WitnessChain provides a fundamentally independent evidence source:
- Device proofs (ProofMode) rely on the prover’s hardware
- Infrastructure proofs (WitnessChain) rely on external network observers
When both agree, the independence dimension of the CredibilityVector reflects the corroboration from truly independent systems.
Links
