A track record nobody can edit: SHA-256, git and Bitcoin timestamps
Anyone can show an impressive track record after the fact. The question is whether the predictions existed before the outcomes. We wanted a way to prove that, cheaply, without asking anyone to trust us. The setup Every night: The day's scores are written to a CSV file, before the next market open. The file's SHA-256 fingerprint goes into a ledger, with the publication time. The file and the…
A track record cannot be edited or altered, as proven by the SHA-256 fingerprinting system implemented by Quantooo Lab. The system involves writing the day's scores to a CSV file, generating its SHA-256 hash, and adding the hash and publication time to a ledger. This ledger entry is then committed to a git repository and pushed to a public repository, ensuring transparency and preventing any unauthorized changes.
The OpenTimestamps (OTS) system further strengthens the integrity of the data by anchoring the file's hash in the Bitcoin blockchain. This means that even if someone tries to manipulate the file, the hash will change completely, making it evident that the file's contents have been altered.
Git's history is also public, meaning that any attempts to rewrite the file's contents would be easily detected by anyone who cloned the repository earlier. Additionally, OpenTimestamps doesn't rely on GitHub or the creators of the system, making it a free and reliable way to prove that a file existed at a specific point in time.
A practical challenge with the system is that git can normalize line endings on checkout, which could change the file's bytes and break the hash. To prevent this, a .gitattributes rule is used to maintain byte-exact files.
If there's a mistake, it is documented in a public corrections log, but the original file remains unchanged, and corrections are added as new entries rather than edits. This system ensures that the scores either beat random picks over time or don't, with no hidden or undisclosed information.
Quantooo Lab, the creators of this system, aims to provide an educational and transparent platform for quant trading, making all formulas, tests, and failures public. For more information, visit https://quantooo.com/track-record.
Written by urgent.news from Dev.to's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
