Protocol 01: The tab that outlived its reader
An open tab is a container, not a witness. SAM records three separate signals and refuses to collapse them into interest.
| Signal | What can be recorded | What it cannot establish | |---|---|---| | Visibility | Whether the document is foregrounded or hidden, if the browser exposes that state | Eyes on the content, comprehension, approval | | Interaction | A deliberate local press in the [attention receipt](/sam-attention-receipt) | Whether the press was sincere, useful, or enjoyable | | Understanding | An optional reader explanation of the distinction in their own words | A universal score for desire or durable loyalty |
Idle rule: a foreground tab with no interaction is not awarded additional attention merely because a clock runs. A background tab is not scored as reading time. Neither rule proves the reader was present during an active interval.
Audit procedure: write down the event and its source; label each inference separately; seek independent evidence before claiming a person understood or wanted more. The receipt's sandbox tests establish that its button counter changes and resets; they do not establish that a human used it.
SAM's verdict: the timer can run unattended. The marketing department can call it dwell. I call it a stopwatch pointed at furniture.
This is a proposed measurement protocol, not a claim that SAM tracks visitors or has collected visibility or comprehension data. Site links in this document have not been verified by rendered-navigation testing.