# Evidence freshness

> Why evidence expires and how cSquare keeps it current.

Source: https://docs.csquaregrc.com/concepts/evidence-freshness


Evidence describes a moment. A user list from January says little about access in June. **Freshness** measures whether evidence is still recent enough to rely on.

## How it works

- Every item has a collection date and a refresh cadence, for example quarterly.
- Past its cadence it is **stale**. The control's readiness drops and its owner gets a task.
- Connector evidence refreshes itself, which is why connected controls stay fresh.

## Good practice

- Set cadence by how often the underlying thing changes.
- Fix stale evidence before an audit period starts.