Proof-of-work photos that hold up in a dispute

On field work, from a refrigerant service to a generator test, a grease duct cleaning or a separator emptying, the photos are the proof the job was done. They end up in a client file, an insurer folder or a compliance record.

The problem shows the day someone disputes them. A normal photo does not prove where it was taken, when, or by whom, and that is exactly where billing disputes and denied claims start. This post explains what turns a work photo into evidence that holds.

Why a normal work photo gets disputed

A photo on its own carries no independent proof. It can be reused from another job, taken weeks earlier, lightly edited, or simply shot somewhere else. Nothing in the file ties it to that site, that date and that intervention.

People often point to the file's metadata to fill the gap, but that data is editable in seconds and is frequently stripped on upload. So in regulated or insured work, where the photo is meant to protect you, it is the weakest link the moment it is questioned.

What makes proof-of-work actually hold

Evidence has to be created at capture and bound to the file so any later change shows. It also has to be checkable by a third party who was not there, without taking your word for it.

That means three things together: the exact moment, the place, and a fingerprint of the image that breaks if the file is touched. A caption or a spreadsheet entry added afterwards does none of this.

How Danaya seals a field intervention

You create a capture link and send it to the technician. They open it on their phone, with no app and no account, and photograph the work live. Import is off, so a picture from another job cannot be slipped in.

Each photo is sealed the instant it is taken: a SHA-256 fingerprint of the file, the GPS location and a server timestamp the sender cannot set by hand, all signed. The sealed proof lands in your dashboard, and your client or insurer can confirm it from a public verification link. It is a complement to your intervention report, not a certification and not a replacement for it.

FAQ

Can I not just rely on the timestamp in my photos?

No. The date in a photo file is metadata that free tools edit or remove in seconds, and many apps strip it on upload. A server timestamp set at capture and signed with the image fingerprint is what a third party can trust.

Does this replace my inspection report or certificate?

No. It is a complement. Your report and any regulatory certificate stay as they are. The seal only adds tamper-evident proof that the photos behind them were really taken on site, at that time, and not altered.

Does the technician need to install anything?

No. They open the capture link in their phone browser, capture live and are done. Nothing to install and no account to create, which matters for subcontractors and one-off visits.

Make your next intervention hold up

Send a capture link for your next job so the proof is sealed at capture, or screen a photo you received with the free detector first. Evidence, not just a picture.

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