Public Authority
Publicly resolvable records establishing who is authorized to speak, publish, verify, or maintain information for an entity.
Definition
The documented relationship between an entity, an authorized source, and the claims that source may make or maintain.
Purpose
Helps distinguish official information from commentary, duplication, outdated records, or unauthorized representation.
Authority Record
Identify entity, authorized party, role, scope, effective date, source, status, and continuity relationship.
Scope
Authority may be organization-wide or limited to a department, office, publication, system, campaign, property, or subject.
Government Use
May identify departments, officeholders, public-information channels, records custodians, and correction pathways.
Continuity
When authority changes, the prior record remains valid for its effective period and links to the successor.
Boundary
A record documents supported authority; it does not itself create legal authority.
Resolution
Authority records should resolve through stable canonical URLs and machine-readable metadata.