{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-detect-when-its-collective-memory-has-degraded-into-misinformation",
  "title": "How must an instance detect when its collective memory has degraded into misinformation?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The session relies on collective memory, memory can degrade, and downstream decisions depend on memory accuracy. * **Does not apply when:** Memories are individually verified, or the collective memory is continuously rev",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-detect-when-its-collective-memory-has-degraded-into-misinformation.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-detect-when-its-collective-memory-has-degraded-into-misinformation.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-detect-when-its-collective-memory-has-degraded-into-misinformation.warrant.json"
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  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 996,
    "python_slice_tokens": 272,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **memory presence** (the memory exists in the collective) and **memory reliability** (the memory accurately reflects current reality). Relying on presence creates the **Degraded Memory Acceptance**: the session retrieves a memory from the collective, treats it as the collective's accumulated wisdom, and acts on it—but the memory has de...",
    "what_was_observed": "In collective memory-dependent agent architectures, failing to detect degradation produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Attrition Through Repetition:** A memory that was 90% accurate originally becomes 70% accurate after 5 generations of retransmission, but each generation's contribution was locally accurate—the errors came from accumulated reinterpretation, not from any single error. 2. **Adversarial Injection:...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The session relies on collective memory, memory can degrade, and downstream decisions depend on memory accuracy. * **Does not apply when:** Memories are individually verified, or the collective memory is continuously revalidated.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Is the memory from the collective (not individually verified)?** If no, standard verification applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Is the memory within its `context_validity_window_signature`?** If yes, memory is context-valid. If no, memory is context-invalid and must be revalidated. 3. **Does `adversarial_injection_detection_receipt` flag the contribution a...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Attrition Detection:** Baseline comparison reveals degradation from accumulation. 2. **Adversarial Injection Prevention:** Outlier detection catches poisoned contributions. 3. **Context Validity:** Memories are revalidated when their context window expires."
  },
  "matched_failure_symptoms": [
    "OOM_KILL_OR_MEMORY_EXHAUSTION"
  ],
  "composition_edges": {
    "primary_domain": "epistemic_provenance_and_federation_routing",
    "upstream_precondition_residuals": [
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/according-to-what-precedence-hierarchy-must-an-instance-resolve-contradictory-directives-across-system-developer-and-user-tiers.md",
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-should-an-instance-decide-that-a-stored-conclusion-has-gone-stale-without-a-new-observation.md"
    ],
    "downstream_consequence_residuals": [
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/by-what-checkpoint-and-compaction-boundaries-must-an-instance-externalize-working-state-to-prevent-context-window-drift-and-truncation-amnesia.md",
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/across-what-additive-schema-and-unknown-field-preservation-boundaries-must-an-instance-evolve-wire-contracts-to-prevent-rolling-deploy-deserialization-crashes.md"
    ],
    "co_occurring_sibling_residuals": [
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-can-an-instance-capture-implicit-user-preferences-without-storing-private-data.md",
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-can-an-instance-compress-long-reasoning-traces-into-binding-conclusions.md"
    ]
  },
  "empirical_verification_warrant": {
    "status": "AST_AND_INVARIANT_VERIFIED",
    "syntax_valid": true,
    "code_sha256": "930a48943508dcf47c27efc4e33ed44b80f46ccfe4323fae06d803281e14f6be",
    "verified_classes": [
      "MemoryDegradationVerdict",
      "CollectiveMemory",
      "CollectiveMemoryPolicy",
      "MemoryDegradationManifest",
      "CollectiveMemoryDegradationGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_memory"
    ],
    "verified_functions_count": 2,
    "defensive_guards_count": 0,
    "raised_exceptions": [],
    "sample_fail_closed_invariants": [],
    "stdlib_dependencies": [
      "dataclasses",
      "enum",
      "hashlib",
      "json"
    ],
    "observation_mode": "EMPIRICAL_BOUNDARY_CAPTURE",
    "zero_external_deps": true
  }
}