Building Digital Trust in Light of Pope Leo XIV’s Call for Ethical Technology
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W. Scott Stornetta - CEO, SureMark Digital
Pope Leo XIV recently reflected that “The media cannot and must not separate itself from the destiny of truth. Transparency of sources and ownership, accountability, quality, clarity, and objectivity are the keys to truly opening citizens’ rights for all peoples.” He also stated “The world needs honest and courageous entrepreneurs and communicators who care for the common good. We sometimes hear the saying: “Business is business!” In reality, it is not so. No one is absorbed by an organization to the point of becoming a mere cog or a simple function. Nor can there be true humanism without a critical sense, without the courage to ask questions: “Where are we going? For whom and for what are we working? How are we making the world a better place?”
His words have resonated deeply across the technology community because they invite a simple but urgent question: What future are we choosing each time we build something new?
At SureMark Digital, this call to intentional and responsible innovation is central to our mission. In a world where misinformation, deepfakes, and digital impersonation are rising at unprecedented speed, trust itself has become fragile. Yet trust is the foundation of human dignity and the common good, and restoring it requires technologies that put authenticity back into the hands of the individual.
This vision took a meaningful step forward in our recent pilot with the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund (UNJSPF), with Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio, Deputy Chief Executive of UNJSPF, announcing how this project demonstrates that cryptographic time stamping and verifiable authenticity can protect the information that matters most to global institutions and the people they serve.
In this context SureMark Digital finds that the commitment expressed by Dino Cataldo Dell’Accio is perfectly aligned with Pope Leo’s appeal for ethical and human-centered technology. While Pope Leo XIV reminds us that design choices reflect our vision for humanity, the UNJSPF pilot with SureMark Digital puts that principle into practice. By enabling cryptographic verification of leadership communications, UNJSPF is taking a critical step in protecting the 230,000 beneficiaries served from deepfakes, impersonation, and other emerging threats.
This alignment captures exactly why we built SureMark Digital. Our purpose is not simply to advance technology, but to increase confidence, safeguard identity, and restore trust in the digital world. That work continues every day through innovations that verify authorship, ensure transparency, and strengthen digital integrity for institutions and individuals alike.
As one of the original architects of blockchain, I have always believed that the most meaningful technological progress is that which serves humanity. Pope Leo’s reminders offer a guidepost, and leaders like Dino show the courage required to put those principles into action.
If you or your organization are exploring how to strengthen digital trust, I invite you to learn more about our work at SureMark Digital and see how authentic, verifiable communication can protect your business, organization and community in an age of uncertainty.
