FIELD GUIDE / FAQ
Strong convictions.
Clear answers.
What preservation means, what recovery needs, and where the boundaries sit.
What is URMA?
A preservation system for journalism: encrypt selected material, publish it beyond the device, and recover it independently. The site presents the product direction; the proof page documents the experimental reference core.
Why Litecoin first?
Litecoin is the chosen default direction for everyday publication. Bitcoin is an optional, higher-cost redundancy layer for selected material. This is a product choice, not a claim that the two networks have identical guarantees or costs.
Is URMA tied to a blockchain?
The target architecture separates the content and recovery core from transport adapters. The current documented implementation uses Bitcoin Taproot witnesses. Future chains and storage systems need their own adapters and explicit trust models.
If the camera is taken, what survives?
Only material that has reached a recoverable publication state can be recovered from the destination. Bytes that never left the only device cannot be reconstructed. Keep the media secret somewhere separate from the device.
What do I need to recover a file?
For the current reference: the 32-byte media secret, network identity, a starting block height no later than the first reveal, the decoder and accessible historical blocks. No publisher journal or spending wallet is required.
Can URMA read my material?
The design does not require sending us your media secret. Encrypted storage protects content from readers without it. A compromised capture device can still expose plaintext before encryption; the core is experimental and unaudited.
Does this prove a photograph tells the truth?
It verifies that recovered bytes match the original file supplied to the encoder. It does not authenticate the scene, establish when the shutter was pressed, or replace editorial verification.
Can published material be withdrawn?
Do not assume published historical copies can be recalled. Anyone given the secret may keep plaintext copies. Retention and removal properties also depend on the selected destination.
Is this unlimited or instant?
No. The current core accepts files from 1 byte to 1 MiB. Publication requires connectivity, funding and inclusion by the network. We do not promise a fixed shutter-to-confirmation time.
Is the code open source?
An open protocol and independent implementations are the goal. The current repository documentation says no license has been selected. Public visibility alone is not an open-source license.
Where can I try it?
The homepage compares preservation scenarios side by side. The documentation page provides the experimental CLI instructions and test reports. The comparisons do not upload files or interact with a chain.
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