Evidence Classification (E1-E5)
By Seme Research Team · Updated May 22, 2026
Definition
Evidence Classification is a five-tier system for categorizing the reliability and quality of evidence sources in identity investigation. E1 (Primary Sources) includes government records, official filings, court documents, and verified institutional records — these carry the highest evidentiary weight. E2 (Verified Secondary Sources) includes reputable news articles, published academic papers, and verified corporate announcements. E3 (Social & User-Generated Content) includes verified social media posts, professional profiles, and public forum contributions. E4 (Unverified Sources) includes anonymous posts, unverified claims, and single-source allegations. E5 (Lowest Confidence) includes rumors, speculation, and content from sources with known reliability issues. This classification system enables investigators to assess the overall confidence of their findings and identify areas requiring additional verification.
How It Works
Evidence classification is applied at the point of source collection. When a piece of evidence is ingested, the system evaluates: (1) Source Type — government databases and official registries automatically receive E1; news outlets and academic publishers receive E2; verified social media receives E3; (2) Source Authority — the reputation and track record of the publishing entity; (3) Verifiability — whether the claim can be independently verified; (4) Corroboration — whether other sources confirm the same fact. Evidence can be reclassified upward when corroborated by independent sources (e.g., an E4 claim confirmed by two additional sources may upgrade to E3) or downward when contradicted.
Example
Classifying evidence about a person's employment history: E1 — SEC filing listing them as a company officer (primary government record). E2 — Wall Street Journal article mentioning their appointment (reputable news source). E3 — Their LinkedIn profile showing the role (verified social media). E4 — An anonymous Glassdoor review mentioning them by name (unverified). E5 — A Reddit comment claiming they were fired (lowest confidence, anonymous). The dossier would present E1-E3 evidence as established facts and E4-E5 as unverified claims requiring further investigation.
Applications
- •Standardizing evidence quality across investigation teams
- •Automated confidence scoring for investigation platforms
- •Legal discovery and evidence admissibility assessment
- •Regulatory compliance documentation standards
Key Statistics
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Classification Tiers | 5 (E1-E5) | Seme methodology |
| E1 Examples | Government records, SEC filings | Classification guide |
| Corroboration Requirement | 2+ independent sources | Validation standard |
| Reclassification Rate | 12% of E4-E5 | Seme analytics |