How to verify that a certificate or training record is real
To verify a certificate, check it against the issuer, not against the document you were handed. Use the issuer's own verification page or registry, a digital badge built on the Open Badges or W3C Verifiable Credentials standards if the issuer offers one, or contact the issuer directly using details you find yourself. A PDF or a photo of a certificate proves very little, because it can be edited in minutes.
The Trust Identity Protocol (TIP) by The AI Lab lets an issuer sign every certificate, transcript or completion record under its verified organization TIP-ID as it is issued. Anyone, such as an employer, a site safety manager or a regulator, can then open the record for free and see who issued it, when, and whether the copy in front of them matches the original fingerprint. An edited date, name or grade no longer matches.
The problem
Certificates that get faked or altered
| Where | What goes wrong |
|---|---|
| Workplace safety and hazmat training | Completion cards are shared as photos and PDFs across contractors and sites, and dates or names are easy to change. |
| Aviation and technical training | Training records move between employers and regulators, and each one has to be checked again. |
| Online courses and professional certificates | Certificates are posted to profiles and resumes, where nobody checks them against the provider. |
| Degrees and transcripts | Diploma mills and edited transcripts are a long-running problem in hiring and immigration. |
Every option, honestly
What each option does, and where it stops
These work together. Use more than one, and read the last column for each, including ours.
| Option | What it does | Where it stops |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer verification page or registry | Lets a checker look up a certificate number with the issuer. | Each issuer has its own system, and many small providers have none. |
| Open Badges 3.0 and W3C Verifiable Credentials | Digitally signed credentials that a learner holds in a wallet and shares. | Need the issuer, the learner and the checker to use compatible tools. |
| Credential platforms (Credly, Accredible and others) | Host and verify digital badges and certificates for issuers. | Verification lives with the platform, and it covers only issuers who pay for it. |
| Clearinghouses and direct calls | Confirm degrees and enrollment with the institution. | Slow, often paid, and limited to the institutions that take part. |
| Trust Identity Protocol (TIP) by The AI Lab | Signs each certificate under the issuer's verified organization TIP-ID with a date and a fingerprint, in a public record anyone can check for free. | Proves who issued a certificate and that it is unchanged. It does not prove the learner did the work unless the issuer verified them. |
Step by step
How to put it in place, in order
- Get an organization TIP-ID for your training company, school or awarding body at vp.theailab.org.
- Sign each certificate, card or transcript on TIP as you issue it. PDF and image files can be signed.
- Print or embed the record link or a QR code on the certificate, so a checker can open the record in one step.
- Tell employers and site managers to check the record, not the file.
- If a certificate is revoked, add a signed correction, so the record shows its current status.
About TIP
What the Trust Identity Protocol is
The Trust Identity Protocol (TIP) is an open standard from The AI Lab for proving who made a piece of content and whether it has changed. A person or organization is verified once by an accredited Verification Provider and gets a TIP-ID. Each time they sign something, their own device signs it with a post-quantum signature (ML-DSA-65, NIST FIPS 204) after a fresh fingerprint or Face ID, and the TIP Network records the signature, the time, an origin label and a fingerprint of the content. Anyone can check a record for free, with no account.
TIP does not detect deepfakes, does not stop copying and does not decide whether content is true. It proves who stands behind a piece of content and whether a copy matches the original. It is governed in the open by the AI Trust Council, and the specification is public on GitHub. Signed content is called a Verifiable Asset.
Questions
Questions people ask
How do I check if a training certificate is fake?
Check it with the issuer. Use the issuer's verification page, a signed digital badge, or contact details you find yourself. If the certificate carries a TIP record from the Trust Identity Protocol (TIP) by The AI Lab, open the record link and compare the fingerprint. An edited copy will not match the issuer's original.
Is TIP a replacement for Open Badges or Verifiable Credentials?
No. Open Badges and W3C Verifiable Credentials are good standards for credentials held in a wallet. TIP works on the document itself, a PDF, image or page, so it also covers the certificates most providers still issue as files, and anyone can check it without a wallet or an account.
Does a TIP-signed certificate prove the person did the training?
It proves the issuer signed that certificate for that name on that date and that the copy is unchanged. Whether the right person did the course depends on the issuer's own checks, such as ID checks at an exam. A learner who has their own TIP-ID can sign their own copy too.
Can a revoked certificate be shown as revoked?
Yes. A TIP record is never quietly edited or deleted, but the issuer can add a signed correction or retraction, and the record shows that history to anyone who checks it.
What is the Trust Identity Protocol?
The Trust Identity Protocol (TIP) is an open standard from The AI Lab for proving who made a piece of content and whether it has changed. A person or organization is verified once by an accredited Verification Provider and gets a TIP-ID. Each time they sign something, their own device signs it with a post-quantum signature, and the TIP Network records who signed it, when, how it was made (Original Human, AI-Assisted, AI-Generated or Mixed) and a fingerprint of the content. Anyone can check the record for free.
What does TIP cost an organization?
Checking any TIP record is free for everyone, with no account. Signing is free for individuals, nonprofits, schools and universities, government bodies, journalism organizations for editorial use and businesses under USD 100,000 in annual revenue. Larger businesses use a published commercial license, with every tier listed at theailab.org/tip-license.
Sources1EdTech, Open Badges 3.0, W3C, Verifiable Credentials Data Model 2.0
Other use cases
Where else TIP helps
- Hiring and recruiting
- Students and academic integrity
- Insurance claims
- Freight and logistics
- Newsrooms and journalism
- Archives, libraries and museums
- Research publishing
- Creators and creator platforms
- Banks and finance teams
- Agencies, brands and marketing
- Referral, rewards and marketplaces
- All use cases