What we do not check
Verification is evidence about specific properties. Anything outside that list is still yours to judge.
Know exactly where our evidence stops, so you know where your own judgement has to start.
How What we do not check works, in one picture
The same argument as the text, as a chain. Each step is what makes the next one possible.
- 1
Whether it is any good at your job
We measure success on a fixed task set. That tells you the software runs and produces plausible output under conditions we chose. It does not tell you it will be good at your work, on your data, in your tone.
This is what a trial is for. Run it on something real, in an environment of your own, before you pay, and treat any number of ours as a floor rather than a forecast.
- 2
What the maker does with data after it leaves
We can see what a listing sends and where it sends it. We cannot see what the recipient does with it once it arrives, and no static test can.
Read the data handling disclosure and, for anything sensitive, read the maker's own policy. Where a listing sends data to a third party, that third party's terms apply to you too.
A listing that sends nothing anywhere is the only version of this question with a clean answer.
- 3
Whether the maker will still be here next year
Maintenance status on a listing is derived from signals we can observe: how recently it was updated, how quickly the maker answers, whether findings get fixed. Those are indicators, not guarantees.
For anything you would be stuck without, prefer a listing where the source is available to you, and read the refund window before you commit.
- 4
Whether it is legal for you to use
We record the declared licence and the maker's own self certification, including their statement about AI transparency obligations. We do not give legal advice and we do not verify their statement against your jurisdiction or your industry.
If you are in a regulated sector, that assessment is yours and it is not one a badge can do for you.
You can name the four things our badge does not cover without looking them up.
Read next
Verification is evidence about specific properties. Anything outside that list is still yours to judge.
Every one shows its exact method, and the circumstances in which it is wrong. Free, and no account to look.