Validating authenticity entails verifying claims that are associated with an object – in effect, verifying that an object is indeed what it claims to be, or what it is claimed to be (by external metadata). ¶ It is important to note that tests of aut

Validating authenticity entails verifying claims that are associated with an object – in effect, verifying that an object is indeed what it claims to be, or what it is claimed to be (by external metadata). ¶ It is important to note that tests of authenticity deal only with specific claims (for example, 'did X author this document?') and not with open-ended inquiry ('Who wrote it?'). Validating the authenticity of an object is more limited than is an open-ended inquiry into its nature and provenance.