Once your data leaves your hands, you're trusting a promise.
Assumed turns that promise into verifiable evidence. Seed working contacts into any list before it goes to a partner — and get a timestamped record of exactly what they did with it.
The problem with list-use agreements
You license data to a texting partner, share a list with an SMS provider, or hand off a batch to a downstream buyer. Your agreement spells out the terms — their offers only, no reselling, no unauthorized channels. You sign and hand it over.
Then what? There's no feed, no audit log, no window into what actually happened to each record. Violations show up as consumer complaints, legal exposure, or a gut feeling that something's off — never as hard evidence at the moment it happens.
Seeds close that gap. You control what goes in the list. You plant a few working contacts — real email addresses and phone numbers — that look identical to the rest. Whatever happens to those seeds, you see directly.
Four things seeds catch
A seed contact starts receiving outreach from companies that were never in the agreement. That is not a coincidence — it is evidence that your list was sold or shared without authorization.
The agreement says your offers only. A seed receives messages about unrelated products or services. Now you have a timestamped record of exactly what was sent, when, and from whom.
Your partner was contracted to send SMS only. A seed starts receiving calls. That single data point is a contract violation — caught at the moment it happens, not months later.
You agreed to a reasonable send cadence. Seeds reveal volume, frequency, and timing — so you can tell the difference between a partner working the list and one burning it.
How partner vetting works with seeds
Seed your list
Before handing the batch to a partner, insert 2–5 working seed contacts — same format as your real records. The partner can't tell them apart.
Partner processes the list
The partner works the whole batch, including the seeds, through their normal workflow. No special handling, no heads-up.
Assumed captures everything
Every SMS, call, and email the seeds receive is logged with sender, content, timestamp, and any links clicked — automatically.
Compare against the agreement
Check sender identity, message content, channels used, and timing. Clean run: scale up. Something off: you have evidence to act on.
The Complete Guide to Vetting Partners with Assumed
A practical walkthrough of how to structure a partner-vetting program using seeds: how many to plant, what to look for, how to scale, and how to use evidence when a partner violates an agreement.
- How to seed a list before handing it to a partner
- What signals indicate resale, unauthorized outreach, or abuse
- How to scale seed coverage as a partner relationship grows
- How to present seed evidence in a partner conversation
Practical notes
How many seeds to plant
Start with 2–5 for a first run with a new partner. Once you've validated the process, scale to ~1% of your batch size for ongoing coverage. A 25-seed bundle covers a 2,500-record batch at that ratio.
Don't reuse seeds
A seed exposed to one partner carries its contact history. Reusing it for a different partner contaminates the signal. Retire seeds after a run and buy a fresh batch for the next partner or engagement.
No integration required
Plant seeds manually into a list file, use the Chrome extension to insert into a web form, or automate through the API. The partner needs no access to Assumed — they process the list, seeds included.