Information integrity is maintained by preventing corruption of data items in a system due to either error or malicious intent.
The paper develops the model as a way to formalize the notion of information integrity, especially as compared to the requirements for multilevel security (MLS) systems described in the Orange Book.
According to Stewart and Chapple's CISSP Study Guide Sixth Edition, the Clark–Wilson model uses a multi-faceted approach in order to enforce data integrity.
The model's enforcement and certification rules define data items and processes that provide the basis for an integrity policy.
The model must also ensure that different entities are responsible for manipulating the relationships between principals, transactions, and data items.
This requires keeping track of triples (user, TP, {CDIs}) called "allowed relations".
The semantic verification is deferred to a separate model and general formal proof tools.