The Proteus Standard™: A Provenance, Integrity, and Auditability Framework for Rights-Cleared Audio Datasets

The Proteus Standard provides a repeatable, transparent protocol for establishing data provenance in generative audio. By utilizing SHA-256 cryptographic hashing and explicit performer-consent frameworks, this white paper outlines a path for AI researchers to build ethically-sourced, legally-defensible datasets. Developed by Harmonic Frontier Audio (HFA) as a reference standard for high-fidelity archival audio R&D.