01
The artist or gallery commissions a new print run
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They fill out a quick form (<1 minute)
The form contains artist, art title and edition.
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Carthage generates and links the digital Certificates of Authenticity to physical tags
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The printer attaches the numbered tags to each piece within the print run
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Any person who wants to check the authenticity of the art piece can now hold their phone (or NFC enabled device) near to the tag to receive an instant Certificate of Authenticity
A real tap issues a one-time pass for that exact scan. The first time someone opens the live certificate with that pass, we use it up. Open the same link again and they no longer get the live certificate — only the public registry record. So the “I just tapped this in person” view cannot be shared or refreshed as if it were still live.
Every genuine tap from the chip includes a number that only goes up. We remember the last number we accepted. If someone copies an old link, screenshots a scan, or replays captured tap data, that number is already used — so we reject it. A copied scan cannot pretend to be a new one.
01
Every physical artwork is provisioned with a unique cryptographic key dynamically derived from a master secret using AES-128 algorithms. The master key never leaves secure server environments, ensuring each chip possesses a distinct, unhackable identity burned directly into hardware.
02
Unlike static QR codes or basic NFC stickers that serve fixed links, our NTAG 424 DNA chips execute a high-speed cryptographic calculation on every single tap. The chip combines an internal state with a secret key to generate a real-time Cipher-based Message Authentication Code (CMAC), turning the physical artwork into an active cryptographic challenge responder.
03
Every physical scan triggers an automated, non-resettable hardware counter increment inside the silicon before running the CMAC payload algorithm. Your backend evaluates this incoming counter synchronously against database records, creating a time-sensitive cryptographic lock that instantly invalidates screenshot fraud, copied links, and replay attacks.
04
Incoming tap payloads are decrypted exclusively within an isolated, server-side infrastructure environment. The system validates the dynamic CMAC math in real time before generating an immutable, cryptographically signed UUID timestamp receipt for the public record.
05
Raw factory silicon identifiers (UIDs) remain strictly locked within encrypted database layers. Public certificate displays use one-way truncation and masked data representations to deliver verifiable proof of physical hardware authenticity while completely shielding inventory data from scraping or reverse-engineering.