Safe Creative · EvidenceSafe Stamper

Legal strength · Trusted third party since 2007

Legal strength: what evidence proves and on what basis

A qualified time stamp issued by a QTSP, a cryptographic hash and an independent witness. Here you will find what each piece of evidence proves, which rules support it and why the burden of rebutting it falls on the other party. This is the page you can show your lawyer.

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eIDAS · time stamping

Object: Content published at a URLImage + HTML source captured at origin
Date and time: 2026-08-05T11:24:07ZQualified time stamp · Firmaprofesional (QTSP)
Hash: SHA-256 · 9f3a1c7e…b042d8e1Any later alteration breaks the hash
Witness: Safe StamperIndependent third party, automated process
Verification: safecreative.org/validityAnyone can check it, no account needed

Actual scope

What each type of evidence proves (and what it does not)

Each product solves a specific evidentiary problem. Mixing them up is the most expensive mistake: whoever needs to prove receipt and only brings proof of sending falls short.

Indicative scope. The effectiveness of any evidence depends on the case, the jurisdiction and the assessment of the body evaluating it.
Product	What it proves	Where the limit is
Mail	The sending of an email: what was sent, to whom, when and with which attachments.	It does not prove that it was received or read.For that, use Notifications.
Notifications	Receipt and reading: delivery, opening, IP, download and reply.	In a MASC it is enough to prove sending and receipt, not the content.The content is confidential (arts. 9 and 17 of Spanish Act 1/2025).
Web	Published content on a given date: image and HTML, or a video of the session.	It does not replace an expert report when the case calls for one.Capture is performed on content that is lawfully accessible.
App	Photo, video or audio with date, time and location, captured at origin.	Geolocation depends on the signal and on the device settings.
Files	The existence of the file before a given date and its integrity.	It does not prove authorship or the legal content of the document.For authorship: a Safe Creative registration or Signature.
Signature	Advanced electronic signature: it identifies the signer, binds the document and detects changes.	It is advanced, not qualified.Enough for most contracts; not for procedures that require a qualified signature.

The underlying problem

A screenshot is not weak evidence by accident

It is weak because it can be edited in seconds, it does not prove when it was created and it carries nothing that would reveal an alteration. The whole value of certified evidence lies in closing those three doors before the dispute arises.

Screenshot

Editable with everyday tools and without leaving a trace.
On its own it does not prove the exact date.
No hash that allows alterations to be detected.
No description of the capture process or of who performed it.
If challenged, the burden of proving its authenticity falls on whoever submits it.

Useful as support, fragile as primary evidence.

Certified evidence

A cryptographic hash that detects any later change.
A time stamp bound to the content, not to the file you keep.
Captured by an independent third party, not by the interested party.
A downloadable certificate documenting the process step by step.
Verifiable by anyone, including the court and the other party.

A basis that is harder to dispute in claims, audits or litigation.

Regulatory framework

What the evidence rests on

Our evidence is stamped with a qualified trust service. That word is not decorative: it is what triggers the legal presumptions that shift the burden of proving otherwise to the other party.

Qualified trust service provider · eIDAS

The time stamp is issued by a QTSP

The time stamping of our evidence is issued by Firmaprofesional, a Qualified Trust Service Provider under Regulation (EU) 910/2014, included in the trusted list supervised by the competent Ministry.

A provider only becomes qualified after passing an independent conformity assessment and being listed on the national trusted list, subject to supervision and periodic audits. Qualification has constitutive effect: the enhanced legal effects are only obtained if the service appears as qualified on that list.

Presumption of date and integrityA qualified time stamp enjoys a presumption of accuracy of the date and time it indicates and of the integrity of the data it is linked to (art. 41.2 eIDAS).

The burden shifts to whoever challenges itAgainst evidence backed by a qualified service, it is the party disputing it who must prove that it is inaccurate or that it was altered.

Recognition across the EUA qualified time stamp issued in one Member State is recognised as such in all twenty-seven, with no further formalities.

Provider liabilityThe regime for qualified providers includes liability and record-keeping obligations that do not apply to a non-qualified service.

Qualified time stampQTSP · eIDAS Regulation
Supervised providerNational trusted list · art. 22 eIDAS
NOM-151 recordAccredited PSC · Mexico
Daily auditAdditional layer of immutability

eIDAS · art. 41

Qualified time stamp

Regulation (EU) 910/2014 grants qualified time stamps a presumption of accuracy of the date and time they indicate and of the integrity of the data they are bound to. It is the strongest temporal backing recognised by European law.

LEC · art. 326.4

Evidentiary weight of the electronic document

Spanish Act 6/2020 added a paragraph 4 to art. 326 of the Civil Procedure Act: when a qualified trust service is involved, a rebuttable presumption of validity of the private electronic document applies, and the burden of proof to the contrary falls on whoever challenges it.

eIDAS · art. 25

Electronic signature

An electronic signature cannot be denied legal effect or admissibility as evidence merely because it is electronic. Our advanced signature identifies the signer, binds the document and detects any later change, and it is sufficient for contracts between parties in general.

LEC · arts. 299 and 382-384

Admission of electronic evidence

The Spanish Civil Procedure Act expressly admits as evidence the instruments that allow words, data and figures to be archived, as well as image and sound media. Certified evidence enters the proceedings through the front door, not by analogy.

Act 1/2025 · MASC

Appropriate dispute resolution means

Since 2025, resorting to a MASC is a procedural requirement in a large part of civil and commercial matters, and the attempt must be evidenced. Our notifications document the sending and the receipt, which is precisely what has to be proved. See the MASC use case →

E-SIGN · UETA

International recognition

Electronic signatures and documents are recognised in virtually every developed legal system: in the EU under eIDAS and in the United States under the E-SIGN and UETA Acts. Your evidence travels with you when the matter is cross-border.

The question your lawyer asks

What if the other party challenges the evidence?

This is the scenario that decides cases. When the authenticity of a communication submitted as a mere printout is challenged, the burden of proving it shifts to whoever intends to rely on it, and an expert report is usually needed.

The Spanish Supreme Court has held that evidence of an instant messaging communication must be approached with caution, because the manipulation of digital files is part of the reality of things.

Supreme Court (2nd Chamber) judgment 300/2015, of 19 May

A nuance worth knowing: later judgments have clarified that this doctrine neither creates a presumption of falsity nor always requires an expert report, where manipulation can be ruled out by other means.

The hash does the expert's workIf the submitted file matches the hash in the certificate, it has not been altered. It is an objective and repeatable check.

The date does not depend on your wordThe time stamp is issued by a third party. It is not your computer's system date, nor the one shown in a screenshot.

The witness is not a partyThe capture is performed by an automated Safe Stamper process, not by the person with an interest in the outcome.

The other party can check itThe certificate is verified publicly. Evidence that your opponent can validate is harder to dispute in generic terms.

How it holds up over time

Operational guarantees, not just technology

Verifiable by anyone

The certificate is checked from a public page, with no account and no software. The court, the other party's expert or your client can do it. Check a certificate →

The evidence is yours, not ours

The certificate is downloaded and kept by you. It remains valid and verifiable even if you stop being a customer: it does not depend on keeping a subscription.

Full traceability

Every piece of evidence documents the process: what was captured, with which method, at which moment and with which hashes. The certificate explains how it was obtained, not just what it contains.

Double time stamp and triple hash

Redundant identification of the content with several cryptographic functions and a double time stamp, so that the evidence does not depend on a single technology over the years.

Daily blockchain audit

Every piece of evidence is recorded on the Ethereum network as an additional layer of audit and immutability, on top of the qualified time stamp. It is a reinforcement, not the legal foundation.

Trusted third party since 2007

Safe Stamper is a service of Safe Creative, a global certification authority operating since 2007, with more than 200,000 users and millions of pieces of evidence issued.

For users in Mexico

NOM-151 preservation record

In Mexico, the preservation of data messages is governed by NOM-151. Safe Stamper issues the Data Message Preservation Record in the same act as the certification, through SeguriData, a PSC accredited by the Ministry of Economy. It is an additional layer on top of the eIDAS basis, not a replacement.

IntegrityThe data message has not been altered since it was preserved.

Technically certain dateThe moment is fixed by an accredited provider.

Verifiable preservationThe record can be checked independently.

The record is issued by SeguriData, not by Safe Stamper. See the full NOM-151 page →

Frequent questions

Questions we get from law firms

How strong is a piece of Safe Stamper evidence, really?

As strong as a qualified trust service makes it: the time stamp is issued by a QTSP, with a legal presumption of accuracy of the date and of integrity of the data. In practice, that means you are not the one who has to prove the evidence is sound; the other party is the one who has to prove it is not. On top of that come the cryptographic hash, an independent witness and a certificate anyone can verify.

Does it replace a notarial deed or an expert report?

Not always, and they are different things. Certified evidence fixes the fact at the moment it happens, which is precisely when the notary or the expert is not yet there. In complex cases it may be worth adding an expert report to interpret the evidence; what you will no longer have to reconstruct is the content, because it was captured in time.

Is it valid in other countries?

Electronic documents and signatures are recognised in virtually every developed legal system: in the EU under the eIDAS Regulation and in the United States under the E-SIGN and UETA Acts, among others. Recognition does not mean the effects are identical everywhere: it is worth checking the requirements of the specific jurisdiction.

Is the Safe Stamper signature qualified?

It is advanced. Art. 25 of eIDAS prevents it from being denied legal effect or admissibility for not being qualified, and it is sufficient for most contracts between parties. For procedures that expressly require a qualified signature, a qualified certificate is needed.

What happens if I stop being a customer?

A certificate that has already been issued remains valid and verifiable. It is downloaded and kept by you, and the public check does not require an active account.

Can I certify any content on the internet?

The capture must be made on content that is lawfully accessible. Certifying does not authorise access to restricted areas, nor does it exempt you from complying with data protection and intellectual property rules on what is captured.

Is the NOM-151 record always included?

It is issued for users in Mexico and for companies outside Mexico that request it because of their activity in that market. It is issued by SeguriData, a PSC accredited by the Ministry of Economy, in the same act as the Safe Stamper certification.

Have the evidence before you need it

Evidence is created when the fact happens, not when the dispute arrives. Certify now paying only for that use, or talk to us if certifying is part of your day-to-day work.

Certify now Talk to an expert Directory of legal experts

Legal notice. Safe Stamper generates electronic evidence with probative value, the assessment of which is for the body or party analysing it, in accordance with the rules of sound judgement and the regulations applicable in each jurisdiction. This page is for information purposes and does not constitute legal advice, nor does it replace the involvement of a professional. The qualified time stamp is issued by Firmaprofesional, a qualified trust service provider under Regulation (EU) 910/2014. The presumptions of art. 41.2 eIDAS and art. 326.4 LEC apply to the qualified trust services involved in each piece of evidence and admit evidence to the contrary. The electronic signature offered is advanced, not qualified (art. 25 of Regulation (EU) 910/2014): it is sufficient for contracts between parties in general, and certain procedures may require a qualified signature. Case law references are cited as an illustration of the general approach to electronic evidence and do not prejudge the outcome of any matter. The NOM-151 Preservation Record is issued by SeguriData (a PSC accredited by the Ministry of Economy) and is available for users in Mexico.