# AOCS Conflicts of Interest Statement v1.0

**Publication date: 22 July 2026**

Authio / Forward Digital maintains AOCS and the initial reference implementation and operates commercially in audio-origin analysis. Because standards maintenance and operation of the reference implementation are related roles, the safeguards below apply to external qualification, evidence reporting and standards governance.

Authio retains sole authorship, normative and editorial authority, control of the AOCS name, publication authority and final decisions. Feedback, review or advisory participation is voluntary and non-binding and does not create co-authorship, a third-party veto or shared control.

Authio therefore commits to:

- distinguish internal validation from external blind evidence;
- disclose material limitations and adverse findings relevant to a published claim;
- publish implementation-neutral qualification criteria before an external qualification test;
- record material reviewer conflicts and recusals;
- prohibit rejection solely because an applicant competes with Authio;
- provide a reasoned appeal path with review by a person not responsible for the original decision;
- version and hash authoritative documents;
- publish material changes, suspensions and withdrawals.

These safeguards improve transparency but do not constitute independent validation or transfer final authority away from Authio.

No external organization, cited source, adviser or prospective applicant is represented as endorsing AOCS.