Babelway keeps a secure chain of all messages allowing to prove that a given message went through Babelway at a given time and is unaltered.

Each message that goes through a channel is hashed (using SHA-512) and added to the "secure chain".

It's called a chain because when we add a message, we also hash a string that is composed of the current message and information from the previous message.

It is called secure because when we hash each new entry using information from the previous message, we make it impossible to modify an entry of the chain without having to alter all the hashes that have been computed after that message has been added to the chain

In order to make sure that the chain is never modified, Babelway Team, regularly (several times a week) signs and timestamp an element of the chain. The signature is done using Belgium electronic identity card (eID) that uses another guarantee located in the offices of the Belgian government. The timestamp is done using a external public TSA (Timestamp Authority).

This guarantees that Babelway is able to prove that a message was processed by our system, even if the message is not stored anymore in Babelway archive (only the hash and the detached signature are kept). This gives you all the garanties of confidentiality, Babelway does not keep messages if you don't want to, as well as guarantee of origin, integrity and timestamping for all messages processed in each account.

If someone receives a message from Babelway or from an email that looks like a Babelway email and would like to verify that it was indeed processed by given Babelway account (i.e. it is not a fake).

Figure 4.10. Secure Chain Search

The chain search allows you to upload the file you have received in the previous screen and then click on the “List” button ; it will show you information about the message like when and in which account it has been processed using the secure chain. On top of that, it will show you the previous and next timestamp of that chain element (the timestamp are the marks that Babelway team signs everyday using his ID card).

If a message has been processed twice, it will be shown 2 entries in the result.

Figure 4.11. Secure Chain Search Result

It is a way to prove two things:

The integrity of the message (it has not been modified)

The authenticity of origin (it was processed in the given account as each account environment has its own certificate that is not shared with other account environment).

The difference between the secure chain search and usual message search is that

1- Its a public page (anybody can check, even people that don't have a Babelway account as receivers are not automatically Babelway users)

2- The message search is limited to 3 months if the long term archive option is not activated. The secure chain search is unlimited in time (but gives less information if the message itself is not archived).