Clockdo – Publish Date Proof & Content Timestamp

Description

Clockdo helps WordPress site owners protect their publish date by generating a verifiable content timestamp.

When your post goes public, Clockdo creates a deterministic fingerprint (SHA-256) and requests an OpenTimestamps proof. This allows you to independently verify that your content existed at a specific time — useful for documentation, plagiarism disputes, and publish date verification.

Features

  • Generate per-post timestamp records
  • Request OpenTimestamps proof
  • Export .ots and manifest files
  • Optional public meta tags and post footer with verification link
  • Independent verification using standard tools

Use Cases

  • Prove when an article was first published
  • Add a visible publication record to your posts
  • Protect against plagiarism disputes
  • Maintain an independent timestamp history
  • Provide verification material for disputes or takedown cases

English (Summary)
* Generate per-post records and proof history in the dashboard.
* Save proof artifacts to your WordPress uploads folder.
* Optionally inject public meta tags and/or a “Verify” footer link.
* Proofs are designed to be independently verifiable with standard OpenTimestamps tools.

Privacy

This plugin may collect and store:
* WordPress post metadata (post ID, URL, timestamps),
* deterministic hashes (SHA-256),
* proof IDs/statuses,
* proof artifacts written to local disk under wp-content/uploads/clockdo-ots-private/.

Outbound requests:
* This plugin connects to a remote timestamping API (configured by you) to request proofs.
* Depending on configuration, it may upload manifest.json and/or export.json (which can include post title and content).

Public disclosure:
* If you enable meta injection or public verify links, your public pages may expose a hash/canonicalization identifier and a verification link.

See the included docs (for operators):
* assets/docs/privacy.md
* assets/docs/third_party_services.md
* assets/docs/data_deletion_uninstall.md

Third Party Services

This plugin connects to the following external services:

  1. Clockdo Timestamping API (ots-api.clockdo.com)

  2. Clockdo Verification Page (ots-verify.clockdo.com)

    • If public verify links are enabled, post pages may link to this domain for independent proof verification.

All outbound connections are made via the WordPress HTTP API (wp_remote_post / wp_remote_get).
The API Base URL is configurable; the above domains are defaults.

See also: assets/docs/third_party_services.md

Uninstall

Uninstall removes plugin options and database tables, but proof files may remain.
To fully remove local data, delete wp-content/uploads/clockdo-ots-private/ after uninstall.

Disclaimer

This plugin provides timestamping and verification tooling. It is not legal advice, not a certification service, and does not determine ownership.

Installation

  1. Upload the plugin folder to /wp-content/plugins/ or upload the ZIP via Plugins -> Add New -> Upload Plugin.
  2. Activate the plugin.
  3. Go to the plugin Settings page and set your API Base URL and fetch/save your Site ID.
  4. Publish a post and submit a record, or use the batch submit button in the dashboard.

FAQ

Is this a copyright registration?

No. This plugin creates a verifiable timestamp record. It does not register copyright or determine legal ownership.

Can this help in disputes?

It provides independent timestamp evidence that may support your documentation process. Legal outcomes depend on jurisdiction and additional evidence.

Does this prove ownership/copyright?

No. It proves that a specific fingerprint existed by a certain time (via an OTS proof). Ownership depends on broader evidence and jurisdiction.

What data is timestamped?

A SHA-256 fingerprint of a canonical representation of content and/or a manifest that references it.

Where are proof files stored?

Locally on your WordPress server (uploads directory). If you purchase a separate hosted plan, proofs may also be hosted by the Clockdo service (manifest + .ots only).

Will this affect SEO?

Meta tags do not duplicate content. If you enable a public footer link, consider rel="nofollow" by default.

Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

Contributors & Developers

“Clockdo – Publish Date Proof & Content Timestamp” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

Changelog

0.1.0

  • MVP release: record generation, proof requests, dashboard UI, local storage, optional public meta/link.