Evidence Submission

Evidence submission is the process by which a malicious act, such as double-signing, is reported to the blockchain protocol to trigger a slashing event. This mechanism is typically permissionless, meaning any participant can submit the proof to the network to ensure the validator is penalized.

The evidence usually consists of two signed blocks that conflict with each other, accompanied by cryptographic signatures. Once the protocol validates the evidence, it automatically initiates the slashing process and may reward the reporter with a portion of the slashed stake.

This creates a powerful incentive for the community to monitor the network for bad actors. Evidence submission is a key component of decentralized security, as it removes the need for a central authority to enforce rules.

It effectively turns network participants into active auditors of the protocol.