In an Era of Fake Media, South Carolina Forum Delivers the World’s First Participant-Authenticated Press Release

SureMark Enables a New Global Standard of Distributed Trust in Media

The South Carolina Digital Economic Freedom Forum, hosted by SCETA on March 2, 2026, in West Columbia, South Carolina, is making history. For the first time ever, a major conference press release is being verified not by a central authority, but by the people quoted in it, each using their own SureMark credential, creating a new standard for transparency and trust in media.

South Carolina Forum Delivers the World’s First Participant-Authenticated Press Release

This is not about trusting SureMark as the authority. Every person quoted in this release is personally standing behind their words, using their own verified credential to vouch for what they said. Accountability rests with the people who actually spoke and authored the content.

Described as a “cloud of witnesses,” this system gathers independent participants, each with their own reputation and professional standing, co-signing the release to confirm its authenticity. Trust is not held in one place, but shared across everyone involved.

Each SureMark credential is securely stored in a cryptographic system, often anchored on a blockchain, creating an unchangeable record that proves the person really attested to their words. Anyone reading the release can verify the credential and confirm the statement is genuine, without needing to trust SureMark itself. The system ensures that accountability stays with the person who spoke or wrote the content, making trust distributed and verifiable in a world of AI-generated content and fake media.

The South Carolina Digital Economic Freedom Forum will bring together policymakers, technologists, business leaders, and legal experts to explore how AI, digital assets, and blockchain technology are reshaping economic policy, digital identity, and public trust. Attendees will discuss practical challenges and real-world solutions, showing how verification and accountability are becoming essential in today’s digital world.

Dennis Fassuliotis, President of SCETA, said, “In an era where AI-generated content and fake media spread so quickly, this is a real shift in how trust works. You don’t need to trust SureMark. Instead, SureMark passes trust back to the people who actually said the words. Each person is standing behind their own statement with a verified credential - proof that it is real. This is the first time a conference press release has been done this way, and we hope it becomes the standard for media everywhere.”

“This is more than a technology milestone. It’s a turning point for communications,” said Dr. W. Scott Stornetta, CEO of SureMark and co-inventor of the cryptography behind blockchain. “You don’t need to trust a platform - you verify the people. Each person stands behind their own words. It’s a system where accountability is spread across everyone, not concentrated in one place.”

Dr. Stornetta is widely recognized as one of the founding pioneers of blockchain technology, having co-created the world’s first practical method for cryptographically securing digital information alongside his longtime collaborator, Dr. Stuart Haber. Together, Haber and Stornetta designed the original blockchain system to provide immutable, tamper-proof records, solving the problem of trust in digital documents without relying on a central authority. Their work underpins today’s cryptocurrencies, smart contract frameworks, and verification systems like SureMark.

During the Forum, Dr. Stornetta will deliver a keynote, “Seeing Is No Longer Believing: Trust and Identity in the Age of AI.” Attendees will gain insight into his pioneering work on immutable, tamper-proof records - the foundation of modern digital verification. He will explore the challenges and possibilities of creating unforgeable digital identity in a world where AI can generate realistic content and mimic human behavior.

Dr. Stornetta will discuss the far-reaching implications of these technologies for AI systems, financial markets, governance, and public trust, providing a roadmap for how verification and authentication will define the future of digital communication. “We are entering an era where seeing is no longer enough to believe,” he says. “AI can fabricate content in seconds. Without a system that allows each individual to personally attest to their words, trust in information is at risk. Verification must be built into the communication itself.”

He will also highlight how distributed accountability — each participant standing behind their own statements with a SureMark credential — transforms the very concept of trust. “This is not about a single authority deciding what is true,” Dr. Stornetta explains. “It’s about returning accountability to the people who actually spoke or wrote the words. When every statement is anchored by the individual behind it, we create a verifiable chain of truth. That is the future of credible communication.”

Dr. Stornetta added, “Every person standing behind their own words is a step toward a world where information can be verified, not just believed. That is the future we are building. This Forum is the first time a press release is authenticated in this way. It’s not just a technology demonstration — it’s a proof of a new social contract for trust in media.”

Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how cryptographic verification, immutable records, and accountable identity can protect against misinformation, deepfakes, and digital impersonation, as well as how these tools will influence markets, policy, and societal trust.

All official press materials and quoted participants at the Forum will carry SureMark verification, so journalists and audiences worldwide can be confident that the statements are authentic.

For more information on SureMark and its verification technology, visit www.suremark.digital. For details on attending the South Carolina Digital Economic Freedom Forum on March 2, 2026, at Stone River in West Columbia, SC, and the Legislative Education Session on March 3 at the South Carolina State House, visit https://www.sceta.io/event-details/the-south-carolina-digital-economic-freedom-forum