Accountability Tiers

Every answer in TOC comes with an explicit accountability tier - a clear indicator of who backs the data and how much trust you can place in it. This is computed at POP creation and never changes.

Why Tiers Matter

Traditional oracles provide data without clear accountability. When an oracle reports incorrect data, who compensates affected users? Usually no one.

TOC solves this by making accountability explicit and immutable. When you read a result, you know exactly:

• Who resolved it (resolver trust level)
• Who can adjudicate disputes (TruthKeeper status)
• What financial backing supports the answer

The Three Tiers

How Tiers Are Calculated

The tier is computed automatically at POP creation based on two factors:

Resolver Trust Levels

Resolvers have their own trust classification:

TruthKeeper Status

TruthKeepers are domain experts who adjudicate disputes. Their status affects tier calculation:

• Whitelisted - Vetted by protocol admins, enables SYSTEM tier
• Guaranteed Resolvers - TruthKeeper declares specific resolvers they back, enables TK_GUARANTEED tier

Immutable Snapshots

Accountability tiers are computed once at creation and never change. This provides:

• Transparency - Consumers know exactly what backs each answer from the start
• Audit trail - Historical record of trust levels at resolution time
• No downgrades - A POP can't be retroactively demoted if a resolver loses trust

// Tier is stored immutably in the POP struct
struct POP {
    address resolver;
    POPState state;
    AnswerType answerType;
    // ... other fields
    AccountabilityTier tier;  // Set at creation, never changes
}

Choosing the Right Tier

When to use SYSTEM tier

• High-value financial settlements (large derivative positions)
• Critical infrastructure decisions
• Cases where incorrect data could cause significant losses

When to use TK_GUARANTEED tier

• Prediction markets with meaningful stakes
• Insurance protocols with moderate payouts
• Cases where you want expert oversight but don't need full protocol backing

When to use PERMISSIONLESS tier

• Testing and development
• Low-stakes casual predictions
• Experimental resolvers and use cases
• When you have other off-chain verification mechanisms

Reading Tier in Code

// Get result with tier information
ExtensiveResult memory result = registry.getExtensiveResult(popId);

// Check tier before using
if (result.tier == AccountabilityTier.SYSTEM) {
    // Maximum confidence - use for high-value settlements
    _executeHighValueSettlement(result.result);

} else if (result.tier == AccountabilityTier.TK_GUARANTEED) {
    // Good confidence - use for standard operations
    _executeStandardSettlement(result.result);

} else {
    // PERMISSIONLESS - use with caution
    require(settlementValue < LOW_VALUE_THRESHOLD, "Use higher tier");
    _executeLowValueSettlement(result.result);
}