SmartCheck
Why certified items cannot be edited or deleted
The most repeated question, and why the answer is the feature rather than a bug.
It is the first question nearly everyone asks, usually with some irritation: "I uploaded the wrong file, how do I delete it?" The short answer is that you do not. The long answer is more interesting.
The reasoning
Imagine deletion were possible. Someone asks you to prove you held a certificate on 3 March, you show them, and the other side replies: "sure, but you could have uploaded that yesterday and deleted the old one". They would be right. The entire usefulness of certifying depends on nobody — including you — being able to alter it afterwards.
So immutability is not an awkward restriction that would be nicer removed: it is precisely the product. An audit archive its owner can edit is not an audit archive.
What to do when you get it wrong
- 1
Do not try to undo it
There is nothing to undo, and it is not a problem. Move on.
- 2
Certify the correct document
Upload it normally. It gets its own date, later than the wrong one.
- 3
Name each one so you do not confuse them
Metadata and labels can be adjusted: what does not change is the certified content.
Worth knowing
Having two versions is almost never a problem. When someone asks you to account for something, the sequence is usually exactly what interests them: what was there before, what was corrected and when.
And personal data
It is a fair question: if someone exercises their right to erasure, what happens to evidence carrying their name? That case is not solved by deleting by hand from the interface — which is exactly what cannot be done — but through your organisation's data protection procedure, which covers retaining evidence held under a legal obligation. If a request like that reaches you, talk to whoever handles data protection before touching anything.
Frequently asked questions
›Can I rename it or move its folder?
Yes. What is immutable is the certified content and its date; the organisation around it can be adjusted.
›Can I hide a piece of evidence without deleting it?
You can organise it and restrict who sees it within your organisation, but it does not disappear from the record.
›What if I uploaded something confidential by mistake?
Talk to whoever handles data protection in your organisation. It is a foreseen case, but it is handled by procedure, not by deleting the record.
›Does uploading the same file twice count as two certifications?
Each upload is a piece of evidence with its own date. If the file is identical, so is its fingerprint, and that is visible.
A real case
The situation
Someone certifies a report draft by mistake instead of the final version, and notices the next day.
What you do
- Certifies the final version, which gets today's date
- Labels the first one "draft" to tell them apart
- Leaves both where they are
What you get
The file shows there was a draft on the 3rd and a final version on the 4th, which is more credible than the final one appearing alone.
The situation
A document with a typo is sealed.
What you do
- Seals the corrected version and keeps both
What you get
The correction is explained rather than hidden.
The situation
Somebody asks to delete an evidence record for tidiness.
What you do
- Explains that immutability is what gives it value
What you get
The proof still counts because nobody can touch it.
The situation
Something is sealed by mistake.
What you do
- Seals the right version and documents the error
What you get
The history stays clear and verifiable.
The situation
Somebody is reluctant to seal for fear of not being able to amend.
What you do
- Reviews before sealing and seals successive versions
What you get
Sealing stops feeling irreversible.
The situation
Somebody asks why it cannot be edited.
What you do
- Compares with a document that can be edited
What you get
It becomes clear that editable and provable are opposites.
This article answers
- how do I delete a certified document
- I uploaded the wrong file to SmartCheck
- can certified evidence be edited
- right to erasure and evidence