Terms of Registry & Mandatory Data Reporting

1. Compliance with IAF MD 28

By accessing or utilizing the Valid-Mark Global Trust Registry ("the Registry"), all participating Accreditation Bodies (ABs) and Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) acknowledge their legally binding obligation to comply with the IAF Mandatory Document 28 (MD 28) regarding the upload and maintenance of certification data. Failure to report accurate certification status within the mandated timeframe constitutes a critical nonconformity.

2. Purpose of the Registry

The Registry serves as the central, immutable database for verified certifications, compliance records, and entity standing. It is intended strictly for the verification of credentials issued under recognized global standards (e.g., IAF, Global ACI). It functions as a definitive "Single Source of Truth" to combat counterfeit certifications and the misuse of quality marks in the global supply chain.

3. Cryptographic Data Integrity

While the Authority employs advanced cryptographic hashing (SHA-256) and strict auditing protocols to ensure data integrity, the Authority does not assume liability for errors originating from the issuing CABs. Each certification record is bound to an `immutable_hash` upon entry, ensuring mathematical proof of its state at the time of issuance.

4. Prohibited Uses

You are expressly prohibited from:

• Deploying automated scraping tools, bots, or spiders to extract bulk data from the Registry.
• Attempting to bypass security protocols, firewalls, or rate limits.
• Falsifying, misrepresenting, or forging Valid-Mark credentials.
• Using the Registry's data to construct a competing database or verification service without explicit multilateral recognition arrangement (MLA) authorization.

Violation of these prohibitions constitutes a federal offense in applicable jurisdictions and will result in immediate IP banning, legal prosecution, and the revoking of associated certifications.