Source Tiers: T1 vs T2

Not all sources carry the same evidentiary weight. Disclosure Navigator organizes everything in the library into three tiers based on origin, institutional accountability, and how the data was produced. Understanding tiers helps you assess what you are reading.

Tier 1 (T1): US Government

T1 sources are official records produced or released by US government institutions. This includes:

Declassified agency documents (CIA, DIA, NSA, and others released through FOIA or formal declassification)
AARO (All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office) reports and official communications
Congressional testimony — statements made under oath before Senate or House committees
DOW (Department of Defense / Office of the Director of National Intelligence) Disclosure Releases

T1 sources carry the highest evidentiary weight on this platform for a specific reason: they are institutional records with a verifiable chain of custody. When a document was produced by a government agency, stamped, filed, and later declassified through a traceable process, the authenticity of the record itself is not in question — even when the content inside it is contested. Congressional testimony is made under oath and entered into the public record. These are the closest thing the UAP field has to primary-source evidence.

T1 sources are displayed with a blue T1 badge throughout the platform.

Research practice: When a claim matters, check whether it is backed by T1 evidence. An assertion made only in a podcast or book has a different standing than one documented in a declassified agency report or sworn congressional testimony.

Tier 2 (T2): Research

T2 sources are produced by researchers, journalists, and credible figures working in the UAP field. This includes:

Documentaries from established UAP researchers and filmmakers
Researcher interviews — recorded conversations with investigators, former officials, and subject-matter experts
Investigative journalism from credible outlets covering UAP disclosure
Books by credible authors in the UAP field with documented sourcing

T2 sources are valuable — often essential — for context, witness testimony, analytical interpretation, and understanding what government records actually mean in practice. A documentary interview with a former intelligence official can provide context that the underlying documents alone cannot. Investigative reporting may reveal connections between programs that no single declassified document makes explicit.

However, T2 sources are treated as secondary to T1 on this platform. They lack the institutional chain of custody that makes T1 records verifiable at the document level. A researcher's claim about a classified program is not the same as a declassified document confirming that program existed. Both matter; they carry different weight.

T2 sources are displayed with an indigo T2 badge throughout the platform.

Tier 3 (AI-enriched Background)

Some content in the library was generated through an AI enrichment pipeline rather than ingested directly from a primary source. This includes biographical summaries, historical context, and supplementary entity facts that were produced by AI using the document library as a reference.

T3 content is always clearly labeled as AI-generated — it is never presented as primary-source evidence. It serves as background scaffolding to help you understand who people are, what organizations do, and how different parts of the disclosure record connect. When research matters, verify T3 claims against T1 or T2 sources in the library.

T3 content is labeled with an AI BG tag in the Timeline and elsewhere. On entity profiles, AI-enriched facts are distinguished from facts sourced directly from documents.

How Tiers Appear in the UI

Timeline: Use the tier filter buttons at the top of the Timeline to show only T1 events, include T2, or add AI Background events. The default view shows all tiers. Filtering to T1-only gives you the government-sourced chronological record.
Sources page: Each document card shows its source tier badge so you can assess the evidence level at a glance while browsing.
AI Briefings: When the AI cites a source, the source attribution in the References section includes the tier. This lets you see whether a specific claim in a briefing rests on government records, research sources, or AI background content.
Entity profiles: Facts on an entity profile note the source document and tier behind them, so you know the evidentiary basis for each data point.

Using Tiers in Your Research

A good research workflow uses tiers deliberately. Start with T1 to establish what is officially documented. Layer T2 to understand context, witness accounts, and investigative interpretation. Use T3 as orientation when you are unfamiliar with a topic, but treat it as a starting point rather than a conclusion. When the AI synthesizes across tiers, it tells you what tier each claim comes from — pay attention to that attribution, especially when a claim seems significant.