You expect screenshots to count as evidence
WeTheNorth addresses
hn2paw7zadwkcra3qzv5e4q547i7e5lvxm62cfxqftuqdu7moiu2ceyd.onionhn2paw7zfvndw3dovycegeqmvvnf4pl67b3g2p7pohjlzavloosh73id.onionhn2paw7zrgujyhnt6mgxlt2q6uhgbke4itpqitxhyfbumq3wtnckbuyd.onionPrinted as supplied, in no order. Nothing here is checked or timed, so an address that opens is not proof of anything. more about the set
I have photos and screenshots, so I can prove what happened.
An image is something anybody can produce in a minute. The record the platform holds is the thing that cannot be edited, and that is what carries the decision.
The gap: you are bringing material that proves you have image software.
Why images are weak here
Not because anyone assumes you are lying. Because an arbiter has no way to tell an honest image from a made one, and a rule that treats them as strong evidence would immediately be exploited by everybody who noticed. So they get read as illustration rather than proof, which is the only consistent position available.
A photograph has the same problem in a different form. It shows an object and a moment. It cannot establish that the object came from this order, arrived on that day, or is in the state it was when it arrived.
What functions as evidence
| Carries weight | Illustrative at best |
|---|---|
| Platform timestamps neither side can edit | A screenshot of a conversation |
| The on-platform message thread | A message from an outside app |
| Tracking events as dates | A photo of a parcel with no context |
| A signed message from a vendor key | A retyped quote of what somebody said |
The pattern down the left column is that none of it depends on you. It exists in the platform, or it is cryptographically attached to a key, and neither party can shape it after the fact.
Using images properly anyway
They are not worthless. An image can make an argument easier to follow, and easier to follow is worth something to a reader with a queue. Use them as support for a claim that is already carried by the record.
- Point at the record first, then show the image. Give the date and let the platform confirm it.
- One image, not twelve. Volume reads as noise and pushes the reader toward the timeline anyway.
- Say what it shows in one line. If it needs a paragraph, it is not showing what you think it is.
- Strip metadata before uploading anything you photographed yourself. Cameras record more than you meant to send.
The habit that replaces evidence gathering
Write on the platform, at the time, in plain words. That is the whole of it. A short message on day ten saying nothing has arrived does more work than an album assembled on day twenty, because it is inside the record rather than attached to it. This is the same conclusion as how a dispute is decided, reached from the evidence side.
It also means the moment to start is before there is a problem, which is a hard sell and is still the truth.
One exception is worth naming. If a vendor made a specific commitment, quote it from the thread rather than describing it. A quoted line with a date attached is part of the record and reads as such. The same commitment paraphrased later becomes your account of a conversation, which is the weakest form the same fact can take.
Questions people send about this
What about a screenshot of a signed message?
The signature is what matters, so paste the signed text itself. An image of it cannot be verified by anyone.
Can I use messages from another app?
They can be quoted and they carry little weight. Anything that matters belongs in the platform thread while it is happening.