Really Simple Authentication Offers a Lesson for Communicators about Complexity

Complexity is a challenge for companies and communicators. 

Straight off, we need to recognize that complexity may be real or perceived. If a press release, vision statement, pitch, or product is complicated for audiences to understand, our task is to simplify it. This does not just mean using fewer words. Telling stories that audiences can relate to may add words but increase the ability of those we are communicating with to process the information we are sharing in ways that resonate and lead to understanding.

The absence of context or knowledge about the ideas we are trying to communicate often creates a perception of complexity. Experience helps build mental models that make it easier to process new information. When we don’t have these frameworks, there are hurdles to overcome, irrespective of how complex something is. 

Few would argue today that one of the most significant issues facing companies, communicators, clients, and consumers is the ability to know what can be trusted. If we cannot trust content, our audiences will not act on it. 

Over the last two years I have highlighted this problem in my CommPRO columns. Importantly I have shared the new-to-the-industry solution we have been working on – content authentication. 

Over the last eight months, we have organized discussions around the world for the communications industry with partners and speakers including: Page Society, Adobe, FGS, APCO, LinkedIn, the New York Times, BBC, CommPRO and Capitol Communicator.                                    

One of my takeaways has been the need to help audiences understand a technology that few had heard of a year ago. The challenge, when anything is new, is to overcome the hurdle of perceived complexity.     

I have looked at this through the lens of a technology entrepreneur and communicator. By framing the discussion in ways that can be understood in terms that are familiar to our audiences, and focusing in on what matters to them, conversations have shifted from this is hard to process to resonance. 

To achieve this, we have originated and championed the ideas of “shadow content,” “protect, detect and correct,” “kintsugi,” and the importance of the “trust signal” built into content authentication that can be read by humans and machines to both protect companies and clients from fraudulent content, and enhance discoverability by search engines and LLMs. 

In our white papers, we have made the case for not focusing on synthetic content in general – because the problem is too big to solve, and for not looking at content authentication as a silver bullet. It should be part of a multi-layered solution to the multi-dimensional problem of trust in the AI Age.               

In our most recent paper, Really Simple Authentication, Tauth Labs and C2PA: Building Trust and Discoverability into Content, we focus on the simplicity of the technology using a model most of us will still remember Really Simple Syndication (RSS) protocols. 

We make the case that implementing the Really Simple Authentication process is quick and cost-effective. In this respect, it’s no different than other technology solutions communications leaders buy and integrate. The approach builds on the philosophy of the late (and great) communications leader, Mark Weiner, “start simply, but simply start.”     

As a certified Coalition for Content Provenance and Authentication (C2PA) conformant technology, and Certification Authority (CA) for the issuance of authentication credentials, Really Simple Authentication™ is by design a simple solution. As with the most powerful technologies and ideas – the power of the idea is that the complexity of the technology required to authenticate content is in the background. Think Apple watch. 

Tauth Labs is bringing this technology to communications, financial services, media, AI startups, and public affairs, with a focus on helping clients authenticate content under their own brands. We are working with them to authenticate high-value documents, press releases, financial disclosures, websites, and pdfs, in addition to images and video.    

Once content has been authenticated, its provenance can be known. The process can be integrated into existing workflows and content manifests (metadata) customized to incorporate information required for each client’s use case. It is the starting point for additional tools tailored to address proof of authorship, AI opt-in opt-out, fraud detection, content tracking and compliance with new disclosure and transparency rules. 

As we have leaned into the concept of Really Simple Authentication, the importance of framing conversations in ways that address the challenge of perceived complexity is clear. The power of communications skillsets to convey simplicity to take away barriers to adoption and communication have never been more important.