FAQ

APP Plain English Guide

What is the AOF Provenance Protocol (APP)?

The APP is a system for recording the origin of creative work. It doesn’t use blockchain or crypto. Instead, it combines:

a timestamped public record (like a blog page or zine),
a digital fingerprint (hash code),
and, where possible, a physical copy (print, sketch, artefact).

Together, these elements prove when and how a piece of work first came into existence.

What is a “ledger”?

The ledger is simply a record of all minting events (when a new artefact is logged). It can be:

a notebook,
a PDF archive,
a Ghost blog page,
or a zine.

It doesn’t live in one place — artists can keep their own ledgers as long as they follow the protocol. AOF maintains a public ledger on its site, but no single entity “owns” it.

Who keeps the ledger?

You keep your own (if you want to mint your own work).
AOF keeps a central copy as a demonstration and archive.
Collectors can also keep private ledgers if they want to track provenance.

Where does the ledger reside?

Everywhere.

Online (Ghost site, PDFs, Shopify listings).
Offline (zines, notebooks, prints).
In multiple redundant forms.

The idea is: no single point of failure. If a site goes down, the zine still exists. If the zine is lost, the hash still exists online.

How is this different from NFTs?

No blockchain.
No crypto wallets.
No platform dependency.
No speculation or trading tokens.

It’s just provenance: proving that an artefact existed at a certain time and place, and recording that in a way that can’t be erased.

What is a hash code?

A hash is a digital fingerprint of a file. If the file changes, the fingerprint changes completely. Publishing the hash means anyone can later verify a file hasn’t been altered.

What does “minting” mean here?

Minting = logging the first translation of consciousness (the seed of an artwork).
That could be:

a doodle,
a voice note,
a photo,
a first draft of a poem.

Once minted, later versions (refined edits, digital renders, AI derivatives) are recognised as derivatives.

Who can use APP?

Anyone. It is medium-neutral and non-hierarchical. You don’t need permission to use it for personal or artistic work.

Do I need special software?

No. A free hash generator, a notebook, and somewhere public to log the record (blog, zine, archive) are enough.

Who owns APP?

Personal, non-commercial use is free.
Commercial or institutional adoption requires a licence from AOF.