# How it works

> How a Witness report earns its confidence: verification begins at capture, independent evidence moves it, and reports and posts look different on the map.

A report is recorded where it happened, placed on the map, and weighed against the evidence that arrives after it.

## How a report earns its confidence

### 1 · Capture: Recorded in the Witness camera

Device, time, and location signals are collected at the moment of recording, not added afterwards.

### 2 · Corroboration: Other people, other angles

Independent evidence raises confidence. Ten accounts repeating one source is not ten pieces of evidence.

### 3 · Confidence: Confidence, not verdicts

Each report shows how confident the system is and what moved it, so you can judge for yourself.

## Two kinds of content. Only one of them is evidence

- **Reports.** Firsthand, geotagged and timestamped. Every report goes on the map with a confidence reading.
- **Posts.** Commentary, context, analysis and reaction. A different shape, and a label instead of a number.

## Confidence, not verdicts

Witness shows how confident it is and what moved that reading, rather than declaring what is true. Report confidence, reporter standing and event confidence are scored separately. [How confidence works](https://www.thewitnessapp.com/trust)

## How standing works

Accuracy over time raises your standing, and standing raises the weight a single report from you carries on its own.

- **New account.** Everyone starts here. A first report is treated as unknown, not as suspect.
- **Reporter.** A record of reports that held up.
- **Trusted reporter.** A long record of accurate reports.
- **Verified correspondent.** A long record, with identity verified privately.

## Questions about verification

### How is a report verified?

Verification begins at capture: device, time and location signals are collected when you record. Independent reports that arrive afterwards move its confidence up or down.

### What does the confidence number mean?

It shows how sure the system is about a report and what moved that reading. A low number is information too: it means the evidence is thin so far.

### Why does it matter who else reported it?

Ten accounts repeating one source is not ten pieces of evidence. Independent reports raise confidence far more than a group sharing one source.

### What happens when reports conflict?

A contested claim stops being promoted rather than being removed, and any removal carries a visible reason.

---
Web page: https://www.thewitnessapp.com/how-it-works
Index for agents: https://www.thewitnessapp.com/llms.txt