Abstract
This publication discloses methods and systems for constructing and verifying provenance chains that link verifiable commitments across the semantically distinct processing stages of a determination pipeline, providing data provenance verification for multi-stage processing pipelines. In one embodiment, a provenance chain is formed by producing a verifiable commitment at each processing stage, where each stage’s commitment incorporates the preceding stage’s commitment together with the current stage’s content, creating stage-to-stage binding that makes the chain tamper- evident. The resulting forward-only provenance chain ensures that stages cannot be reordered, removed, or inserted without producing a detectably different commitment at each subsequent stage. In one embodiment, the provenance chain is an intrinsic property of the processing records rather than a separate integrity structure maintained alongside them — each processing artifact contains its predecessor’s commitment as a structural element, eliminating dual-source-of-truth inconsistencies and maintaining record lineage. In one embodiment, the provenance chain spans from initial context establishment through evidence collection, evaluation, record sealing, authorization, and execution as distinct processing stages, with the execution proof artifact serving as the terminal stage, providing chain-of- custody verification across the full determination lifecycle. The specific number, names, and types of processing stages are not prescribed. In one embodiment, individual stages or subsets of stages may be verified independently without requiring access to the complete chain, enabling selective verification in contexts where different parties hold different stages. The commitment derivation mechanism, verification traversal order, and commitment structure are not prescribed — any mechanism that makes tampering detectable may be used. Content-derived identifiers ensure stable stage inputs, and record immutability after sealing ensures that downstream stages reference fixed records, maintaining processing pipeline integrity. The disclosed provenance chain techniques relate to data lineage and processing pipeline integrity problems addressed in supply chain traceability systems, electronic evidence preservation frameworks, W3C PROV-compatible data provenance models, certificate transparency architectures, and compliance record-keeping systems where append-only verifiable structures ensure that records, once committed, cannot be silently altered or reordered, without reliance on a centralized ledger or distributed consensus protocol. The disclosed approaches describe linked provenance as a chain of any number of stages with any verification mechanism.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Winchester, Jayson, "Data Provenance Verification for Multi-Stage Processing Pipelines — Chained Integrity Binding", Technical Disclosure Commons, (February 19, 2026)
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/9360