Fake-location apps
A location flagged as fake by the phone is never counted.
How AdresX works
A place gets a code. Evidence that someone is really there is weighed by written rules. The result is a level and a signed certificate.
- A code that checks itselfEvery 4.4 metre square in a country has a digits-only code. The last digit is a check digit, so a mistyped digit or a swapped pair is caught before anyone sets off. The code is worked out from the coordinates, so it needs no lookup and works offline.
- Evidence from the channel that fitsA link that opens in any browser, the AdresX app, or USSD on a basic phone. The app works two ways: an address owner confirms their own location, and a signed-in field agent confirms a household's claim on site. Each channel supplies different evidence, and the rules say what each can prove.
- A level, not a yes or noThe rules turn the evidence into a level from 0 to 5, plus a score for how strong it is. The next step needed to reach the next level is always shown.
- A certificate anyone can checkEach result comes with a certificate signed with a digital signature. It can be verified with a public key, even without contacting us.
- Private by defaultSharing a private alias never reveals the location. Coarse and precise views are separate. Data can be deleted on request.
The six levels
| Level | Name | What it takes |
|---|---|---|
| L0 | Declared | A text address only, or coordinates that are spoofed, worse than 100 m, or a pin claimed from far away |
| L1 | Located | Coordinates within 100 m of the device, with no fake-location signal |
| L2 | Corroborated | L1 plus a locality, national-code or repeated-presence match, on an integrity-checked device |
| L3 | Substantiated | L2 plus two independent attestations, or presence on 3 days including 2 evenings or nights |
| L4 | Field-verified | A trained agent on site with an authentic photo, fresh clock and intact device |
| L5 | Authoritative | L3 or higher plus a match to an authoritative record |
What stops fakes
Pins from far away
A pin more than 100 metres from the device is claimed, not observed, and stays at Level 0.
Weak devices
Browser check-ins cannot prove the phone is genuine, so they never raise a level. The app can, after Google Play confirms the app and device.
Distant evidence
Evidence from far from the address is rejected. An agent must stand at the claimed spot.
What a level does not mean
A level says how strong the evidence is that a location is real and occupied. It does not identify a person. Linking an address to an identity uses your own KYC. AdresX works alongside national systems such as the NIPOST postcode and does not replace them.