The method is the product.
Probily's value isn't a verdict — it's a transparent, reproducible path from a URL to the public record. Here is exactly how a report is built, scored, and cited, end to end.
A value in a report is a pointer to a primary source, not an assertion. Where a record exists, we link to it. Where none exists, we say so. The reader stays the judge — the method just removes the busywork of assembling the evidence.
Five stages, fully documented.
Capture the source
The article URL is fetched and archived to the Wayback Machine, then hashed with SHA-256.
Read into structured records
People, organisations and other named entities are extracted from the text and organised into a structured report.
Enrich across registries
Each entity is queried across the connected open, public registries in a single pass.
Score & rank
Sources are weighted by reliability; each value gets a confidence and an Admiralty code.
Assemble a cited report
A deterministic report is rendered where values link to their primary sources.
Open sources, one catalogue.
Reports query open, public registries only — identity, sanctions and watchlists, courts, corporate and integrity registers, leaks and offshore records, academic and web archives. No proprietary or sealed sources. Every hit links to its originating record, and a hit means a query returned a record in that source at that time — nothing more.
How a value earns its confidence.
Wikipedia sources are weighted by their WP:RSP standing and Wikimedia's LiftWing quality models — reliable outlets count for more than fringe ones.
Each corroborated value carries a NATO Admiralty rating — source reliability (A–F) and information credibility (1–6) — the standard analysts already use.
Extraction and match confidence combine into a single gauge per value — so a name-only sanctions match reads very differently from a QID-confirmed one.
Evidence that can't quietly change.
At report time the source page is captured to the Wayback Machine and hashed with SHA-256, computed from the captured HTML. If the page is later edited or deleted, your report still points at the version you actually read.
Every report also has a public authenticity check: paste its ID at /verify to confirm it is a genuine Probily report and when it was generated.
Aligned with the field's standards.
Journalism Trust Initiative (JTI)
Our transparency and sourcing practices are built to align with JTI's indicators. We are not a certified signatory, and we don't claim to be.
IFCN principles
We follow the spirit of the IFCN code — transparency of sources and method, and an open corrections path — without claiming membership.
Not a consumer-reporting agency. Probily reports are not "consumer reports," and Probily is not a consumer-reporting agency. Do not use Probily for decisions covered by the FCRA — employment, credit, housing, or insurance eligibility.
What the method can't do.
The text is read automatically; misattribution and missed names are possible. Cross-check before relying on a name.
Open registries only. Proprietary and sealed sources are out of scope — absence of a record is not proof of absence.
Registry data reflects the last sync; upstream records change. Re-run the report for the latest state.
Non-English articles and transliterated names can reduce extraction accuracy and match quality.