The QIK-VRT Effect Acknowledgement Protocol
draft-lohmann-qikvrt-effect-ack-00

Independent Submission                                        I. Lohmann
Internet-Draft                                    Independent Researcher
Intended status: Experimental                               18 June 2026
Expires: 20 December 2026

              The QIK-VRT Effect Acknowledgement Protocol
                   draft-lohmann-qikvrt-effect-ack-00

Abstract

   This document defines the QIK-VRT Effect Acknowledgement Protocol
   (EFFECT_ACK), a protocol layer between technical transport
   acknowledgement and responsible semantic release.  TCP
   acknowledgement confirms technical arrival.  EFFECT_ACK confirms
   whether received information may responsibly continue as an effect.
   The protocol distinguishes TRANSPORT_ACK from EFFECT_ACK, defines
   five effect states, introduces a versioned and hash-linked
   Responsibility Protocol, and specifies deterministic hashing and
   canonical JSON requirements for reproducible audit.

Status of This Memo

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Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2026 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   3.  Layering Model  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   4.  Core Principle  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   5.  Effect ACK States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   6.  Responsibility Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   7.  Hashing Rule  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   8.  Canonical JSON  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   9.  Synchronous and Asynchronous Operation  . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   10. Compliance Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   11. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   12. Privacy Considerations  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   13. Canonical Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6

1.  Introduction

   Modern information systems increasingly transmit not only data, but
   effects.  Texts, code, decisions, model outputs, recommendations,
   warnings, legal assessments, financial signals, governance actions,
   machine-to-machine messages, and AI-generated content can change
   behavior, trigger downstream processes, influence decisions, or cause
   harm.

   Traditional network layers answer whether information arrived.  QIK-
   VRT adds the required next question: may this information responsibly
   continue to have effect?

   TRANSPORT_ACK != EFFECT_ACK

   A transport acknowledgement confirms arrival.  An effect
   acknowledgement confirms responsible permission for further effect.

2.  Terminology

   The key words MUST, MUST NOT, REQUIRED, SHALL, SHALL NOT, SHOULD,
   SHOULD NOT, RECOMMENDED, MAY, and OPTIONAL in this document are to be
   interpreted as normative requirement levels.

   A TRANSPORT_ACK confirms technical arrival but not semantic validity,
   contextual correctness, safety, responsibility, or release
   permission.

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   An EFFECT_ACK confirms that a received information unit has passed a
   QIK-VRT effect gate and has been classified into one of the defined
   release states.

   A Responsibility Protocol, abbreviated as P, is a versioned, hash-
   linked, audit-capable record of checks, evidence, risks, open
   questions, reasons, and responsibility assignments that support an
   EFFECT_ACK decision.

3.  Layering Model

   Layer 3: IP
     Addressing, routing, reachability

   Layer 4: TCP
     Sequencing, acknowledgement, retransmission, timeout

   Layer 4.5: QIK-VRT EFFECT_ACK_GATE
     Effect checking, responsibility, release gating

   Layer 7+: Application / cognitive / governance layer
     Meaning, action, decision, publication, storage, execution

   Transport confirmation is not release confirmation.

4.  Core Principle

   A QIK-VRT-compliant system MUST NOT treat received information as
   released effect merely because it has been technically received.

   received != released
   received -> effect-checked -> classified -> released-or-not-released

   TRANSPORT_ACK + RESPONSIBILITY_PROTOCOL = EFFECT_ACK

   This yields EFFECT_ACK_DONE only if the responsibility protocol is
   sufficiently complete and release policy permits further effect.

5.  Effect ACK States

   EFFECT_NACK
   EFFECT_ACK_CONTINUE
   EFFECT_ACK_DONE
   EFFECT_ACK_ISOLATE
   EFFECT_ACK_BLOCK

   EFFECT_NACK means no effect-checkable reception exists.

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   EFFECT_ACK_CONTINUE means effect checking may continue, but effect is
   not released.

   EFFECT_ACK_DONE means effect has been checked sufficiently for
   responsible release.

   EFFECT_ACK_ISOLATE means effect must be separated from ordinary flow
   and examined in containment.

   EFFECT_ACK_BLOCK means effect must not continue.

6.  Responsibility Protocol

   Every EFFECT_ACK result MUST include a versioned and immutable
   Responsibility Protocol P.  New evidence MUST create a new protocol
   version.

   A minimal protocol contains protocol_root_id, protocol_version,
   protocol_id, previous_protocol_id, previous_protocol_hash,
   protocol_hash, input_id, input_hash, state, transport_ack,
   origin_checked, context_checked, semantics_reconstructed,
   effect_anticipated, risk_classified, risk_level,
   responsibility_assigned, responsibility_owner, connection_decided,
   reasons, evidence_refs, open_questions, next_required_checks, and
   created_utc.

7.  Hashing Rule

   The protocol_hash MUST be computed over deterministic content only.
   Timestamps and volatile runtime metadata MUST NOT be included in
   protocol_hash.

   same content -> same hash
   different evidence -> different hash
   different timestamp only -> same hash

8.  Canonical JSON

   canonical_json() MUST serialize the hash projection deterministically
   using UTF-8 without BOM, sorted keys, no whitespace outside strings,
   normalized Unicode, and removal of volatile fields.

   protocol_hash =
     "sha256:" + SHA256(UTF8(canonical_json(protocol_hash_projection)))

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9.  Synchronous and Asynchronous Operation

   The protocol defines a synchronous haltpoint and asynchronous
   evidence continuation. effectAckSync() MUST return a deterministic
   state without unbounded waiting.

10.  Compliance Requirements

   A system claiming QIK-VRT EFFECT_ACK compliance MUST distinguish
   TRANSPORT_ACK from EFFECT_ACK, include Responsibility Protocol P in
   every result, hash deterministic content only, version every evidence
   change, treat CONTINUE as unreleased effect, and treat DONE as the
   only ordinary release state.

   A system MUST NOT claim EFFECT_ACK_DONE if origin is unchecked,
   context is unchecked, semantics are unreconstructed, risk is unknown,
   responsibility is unassigned, connection decision is missing,
   required evidence is absent, or policy does not allow release.

11.  Security Considerations

   EFFECT_ACK is designed to prevent received-equals-released fallacy,
   hallucination propagation, context loss, false certainty, ungated
   downstream effect, silent evidence mutation, unowned responsibility,
   unbounded waiting, unsafe asynchronous release, and false DONE
   claims.

12.  Privacy Considerations

   Responsibility protocols may contain sensitive contextual,
   evidential, or ownership information.  Implementations SHOULD support
   evidence minimization, hash-only evidence references, redacted
   protocol views, and access-controlled audit logs.

13.  Canonical Summary

   TCP ACK confirms arrival.
   EFFECT ACK confirms responsible permission to continue effect.

   Transport_ACK != Effect_ACK.

   CONTINUE means:
     continue checking,
     do not release effect.

   DONE means:
     responsible effect release.

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Acknowledgements

   q.e.d.  Ingolf Lohmann.

Author's Address

   Ingolf Lohmann
   Independent Researcher
   Germany
   Email: ingolf.lohmann@web.de
   URI:   https://github.com/ingolf-lohmann

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