The work of University of Tartu intersectoral doctoral researcher Eduardo Brito could reshape how we verify truth in the digital world. His research on a decentralized Proof-of-Location system, recently published in Scientific Reports, offers a new way to cryptographically prove where and when something happened, without compromising privacy or relying on centralized authorities.
In an era of synthetic media, GPS spoofing, and rising digital distrust, how can we prove that something truly happened in a specific place at a specific time? In 2023, millions of people and even media outlets like Time, Fox Business and CBS News shared AI-generated photos of Pope Francis wearing a white Balenciaga puffer jacket. This forced the Pope himself and the Vatican City to publicly comment on the dangers of AI-generated deepfakes, referencing how such tools can distort reality and truth.
In the near future, it might be much harder to fool people with manipulated media. In his recent article, Eduardo Brito, an intersectoral doctoral researcher at the University of Tartu Institute of Computer Science, in collaboration with Cybernetica AS, introduces the world’s first unified, system-level architecture for decentralized Proof-of-Location systems, capable of cryptographically verifying a person’s or device’s physical presence at a specific time and place.
What is Proof-of-Location?
Proof-of-Location (PoL) is a system that generates a secure, verifiable digital proof of physical presence. “Imagine someone says, ‘I was at this place at this time.’ PoL makes it possible to verify that claim without simply trusting their word or revealing unnecessary private data. It’s a secure, verifiable stamp of presence that others can check without relying on a single company or government,” Brito explains.
While GPS and Wi-Fi triangulation can estimate location, they fall short when it comes to tamper-resistance, privacy, and decentralization. Brito’s model uses a network of nearby devices, called witnesses, to co-sign location claims. Each witness cryptographically attests to the presence of a…
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