{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "url": "https://www.affix-io.com/offline-payments-verification/",
  "title": "Offline Payments & Verification During Blackouts | AffixIO",
  "publisher": "AffixIO",
  "reviewed": "2026-10-26",
  "sdk": {
    "name": "affixio",
    "version": "2.0.4",
    "runtime": "Node.js 20+"
  },
  "summary": "AffixIO can provide local verification and signed decision evidence for a deliberately designed offline workflow. It is not a payment network, does not restore electricity, and cannot guarantee payment settlement. With preloaded trust, powered devices and bounded policies, it can help organisations check permissions, record entitlements and reconcile decisions after connectivity returns.",
  "capabilities": [
    {
      "capability": "Local evidence creation",
      "component": "Local proof generation and ML-DSA-65 signing in the Node SDK.",
      "boundary": "Preinstall software, protect signing keys, validate the source and check the configured licence, policy and entitlement behaviour."
    },
    {
      "capability": "Offline signature verification",
      "component": "Local verification against explicitly trusted public keys.",
      "boundary": "Provision keys through a trusted channel. A key included by the presenter is not automatically trusted."
    },
    {
      "capability": "Bounded repeat-use checks",
      "component": "Replay guard and a signed, hash-chained local spend journal.",
      "boundary": "Durable, correctly scoped state is required. A local journal is not a global ledger."
    },
    {
      "capability": "Portable evidence",
      "component": "QR/barcode carrier and sidecar support.",
      "boundary": "The verifier needs all required evidence locally. A QR code containing only a web link does not work without that service."
    },
    {
      "capability": "Later evidence synchronisation",
      "component": "Offline queue and explicit remote verification/anchoring workflows.",
      "boundary": "Connectivity and service acceptance are needed later. Synchronising evidence is not settling a payment."
    },
    {
      "capability": "Minimal disclosure",
      "component": "A defined result can travel instead of an entire underlying record.",
      "boundary": "Design fields and retention carefully. Signatures do not encrypt data, and identifiers can remain linkable."
    },
    {
      "capability": "Payment or relief integration",
      "component": "Evidence and policy components to integrate into another system.",
      "boundary": "The operator supplies the issuer, funds, authoritative records, payment rails, delivery process and dispute handling."
    }
  ],
  "use_cases_status": "Proposed integrations, not claims of deployed products or government partnerships",
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Are UK and US governments predicting an imminent national blackout?",
      "answer": "The preparedness sources reviewed here do not establish that. The UK’s October 2026 campaign addresses resilience to disrupted services; US emergency-supply guidance covers disasters and outages. Specific regional alerts have their own dates and scope. Check official local updates for an active incident."
    },
    {
      "question": "Can AffixIO make a payment without electricity?",
      "answer": "No. AffixIO software requires a powered device. It can contribute verification and signed evidence to an offline-capable payment arrangement, but it does not power a terminal, move funds or guarantee settlement."
    },
    {
      "question": "Can AffixIO verify evidence without an internet connection?",
      "answer": "Yes, supported local verification can check evidence against pre-provisioned trusted keys without a live verification service. The application must already have the required software, evidence, policy and trust data. Fresh remote information remains unavailable while disconnected."
    },
    {
      "question": "Does an AffixIO approval mean a customer has paid?",
      "answer": "No. An approval records a defined permission or verification result. Payment authorisation, capture and settlement are separate events that must be confirmed by the payment provider or issuer."
    },
    {
      "question": "Does the SDK prevent all offline double spending?",
      "answer": "No. Local replay and consumption controls cover their configured state boundary. Independent disconnected devices cannot know each other’s latest consumption without a coordination mechanism or a design that partitions acceptance."
    },
    {
      "question": "Will a printed QR code work offline?",
      "answer": "Only if the verifier has all required evidence, trusted keys and validation logic locally. A web-link-only QR code is not sufficient. Larger proofs or signatures may need preloaded sidecar data or another tested carrier format."
    },
    {
      "question": "Does offline verification reveal personal information?",
      "answer": "It need not reveal a full source record, but privacy depends on the payload and implementation. Signatures do not encrypt content. Use minimal fields, controlled retention and appropriate encryption; assess whether identifiers can be linked back to people."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is every AffixIO proof zero-knowledge?",
      "answer": "No. The default HMAC proof mode is not zero-knowledge. UltraHonk is a separate supported path. ML-DSA-65 provides a digital signature; it does not turn every signed assertion into a zero-knowledge proof."
    },
    {
      "question": "Can a disconnected verifier know that a key was just revoked?",
      "answer": "Not without receiving that update. It can enforce locally known revocations and freshness limits, but high-risk actions may require a fresh online check. Offline acceptance must have an explicit expiry and risk policy."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is AffixIO an official UK or US emergency payment service?",
      "answer": "No such affiliation or deployment is claimed here. This is AffixIO’s technical guide to potential resilience applications of its SDK, with government sources cited for context, not endorsement."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    "https://www.gov.uk/government/news/households-encouraged-to-take-small-simple-steps-to-stay-prepared-in-an-emergency",
    "https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/power-cuts/",
    "https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep-food-safe/food-safety-in-disaster-or-emergency",
    "https://www.noaa.gov/assemble-disaster-supplies-hurricane-preparedness",
    "https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-secretary-secures-mid-atlantic-grid-ahead-period-hot-weather",
    "https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/offline-payments-implications-for-reliability-and-resiliency-in-digital-payment-systems-20240816.html",
    "https://docs.adyen.com/point-of-sale/offline-payment/",
    "https://csrc.nist.gov/pubs/fips/204/final",
    "https://www.npmjs.com/package/affixio/v/2.0.4",
    "https://github.com/AffixIO/SDK"
  ],
  "full_text": "https://www.affix-io.com/offline-payments-verification/index.md",
  "tests": "https://www.affix-io.com/offline-payments-verification/test-results.json",
  "custom_implementation": {
    "provider": "AffixIO",
    "availability": "Subject to agreed scope and technical feasibility",
    "commercial_model": "Paid professional service, separately scoped and priced",
    "scope": "Surrounding applications, integrations, operational workflows, testing and support as agreed",
    "not_included": "Not included simply by using the SDK; third-party approvals and external costs must be assigned explicitly",
    "limitations": "Does not remove offline limitations or guarantee payment settlement",
    "contact": "https://www.affix-io.com/contact/"
  }
}