Witnessability
The claim-relative capacity to produce, preserve and expose evidence and reasoning for evaluation and challenge. The Conceptual Core gives the formal definition; this is a reading aid.
Claim
A statement offered for someone to rely on. State its exact subject, scope and time. An assertion about execution differs from one about authorization or a later effect.
Evidence
Material offered in support of a claim, such as a record, observation, receipt or proof. Calling material evidence does not establish that it supports the particular claim.
Producing boundary
The vantage point, component or interface where evidence was produced, considered together with what it could observe and who controlled it.
Claim ceiling
A limit on claims of a specified kind that a boundary's evidence can support under stated premises. It excludes unsupported extensions; it does not create positive evidence.
Appraisal
Assessment of what identified evidence supports about a specified claim under stated premises. Preserve the evaluator, the evidence basis and the context when reusing its result.
Relying party
The person or organization deciding whether to accept a claim. Its decision may depend on policy or risk requirements beyond the evidentiary assessment.
Independence
A control relationship stated relative to a party, capability, period and threat model. Different keys or organizational labels alone do not establish resistance to forgery, concealment or circumvention.
Invocation and execution
Invocation concerns an exact request crossing an observed boundary. Execution concerns performance evidenced at an appropriate boundary. Neither automatically establishes completion of a larger process or a durable external effect.
Assessment status and finding
CBEE distinguishes evaluated from not evaluated. When assessed, a claim may be supported, unsupported by the evaluated evidence, or refuted by evidence for its negation. These distinctions must not be collapsed.
Unverifiable
In CBEE, a reason for not evaluated: this evaluator cannot check the statement with the available inputs at the relevant time. It is not a permanent property of the statement.
Coverage
The declared scope within which relevant events or records are accounted for. Authenticity of individual records alone does not establish completeness of the collection or observation regime.