ForceField: Uncovering Deepfakes and Digital Deception Through Source Verification

A new startup is taking on the urgent battle against deepfakes and spoofed evidence in the AI era, showcasing its groundbreaking solutions on the Startup Battlefield stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. Introducing ForceField: a company developing a suite of “patent-pending” APIs called MARQ, with its first release built specifically to authenticate content at the source.

As Europol’s 2022 report warns, 90% of online content is expected to be AI-generated by 2026. The digital landscape is already flooded with manipulated media—whether fully machine-created or enhanced by AI—pushing major tech players to create new detection tools. Google recently announced plans to flag AI-generated images in search, echoing Meta’s ongoing efforts on Facebook and Instagram, though accuracy remains a challenge. YouTube has also implemented a way for individuals to request the removal of AI-simulated content featuring their faces or voices.

This wave of “fake” content isn’t receding anytime soon. Numerous startups have emerged to address this challenge, including Clarity, Reality Defender, and Truepic, each backed by significant industry-leading investments.

ForceField, however, brings a unique approach by focusing on device-level security, targeting data streams directly at the source. Whether integrated within a mobile app, surveillance camera, or drone hardware, ForceField’s technology can “sign and hash for verification” in real-time, delivering a new level of trust and transparency across digital devices.

Establishing a ‘Chain of Custody’

ForceField’s first product, HashMarq, provides unmatched content verification by confirming submissions as authentic and adding a badge of authenticity. Unlike solutions that rely on adversarial AI or watermarking, ForceField’s approach creates a secure “chain of custody” by identifying whether content has been modified and examining metadata from data streams and connected devices. This is blockchain in action, but as founder and CEO MC Spano clarifies, ForceField is not a “web3” startup.

“We’re leveraging blockchain, but there are no coins or crypto—we’re not a web3 company,” Spano explained to TechCrunch. “We’re using blockchain in the most purposeful way, through smart contracting. We authenticate anything collected, like video, photos, audio, or mobile screenshots—and we secure and verify multimedia from any IoT device, whether that’s a BlackBerry or a robot. For streaming data, we sign, hash, and use ledger technology in real time.”

ForceField’s “smart contracts” reside on the blockchain, ensuring security, transparency, and immutability—they simply cannot be altered. Enterprise clients, from chief information officers to trust and safety teams, can easily integrate this technology via an API or SDK within their own applications. In essence, HashMarq functions as a digital certificate, validating content that passes its rigorous proof checks.

“We’re building tech for the good guys,” explains Spano. “We anticipate that governments, enterprises, small businesses, and even individuals will need to prove the authenticity of what they’re sharing with the world. This contrasts with approaches like Meta’s, where AI-generated content is simply labeled.”

So, what exactly does ForceField analyze to verify an asset’s authenticity?

“We assess around 90 proof points, though I can’t disclose all of them,” Spano shares. “We look at the geospatial data surrounding the device, nearby signals, other devices present, and the specific time of collection. Details like the time between data capture and submission provide news agencies, journalists, and law enforcement with invaluable information—and can even pinpoint a precise location.”

ForceField’s journey formally began in 2021, but the idea took shape in 2018 when Spano experienced a personal assault in New York City. Struggling with evidence submission due to procedural obstacles, Spano was struck by a fundamental truth: the justice process starts long before the courtroom.

“I knew there were cameras that recorded the event,” recalls Spano. “But getting access to that footage was a maze. I eventually recorded it with my phone, but when I submitted it, NYPD wouldn’t accept it as admissible evidence. That’s when I saw how critical secure evidence-handling technology could be.”

Spano and ForceField are tackling this issue at a time when generative AI enables almost anyone to create convincing but fake “evidence” with ease.

Proof of Concept

ForceField is still in its early stages, yet it’s already collaborating on a proof-of-concept (PoC) with insurance leader Erie while securing letters of intent with three additional clients. They plan to complete the PoC and launch commercially by Q1 2025. Although insurance is the initial market focus, Spano sees vast potential across industries in the era of AI-driven media. For example, a citizen journalist could submit a video to a news station, which would then verify the source through ForceField’s API. Law enforcement, likewise, could authenticate submissions from victims or witnesses.

ForceField has been funded by bootstrapping (from Spano’s previous company sale) and investments from angels like actor Debra Messing and Wilfredo Fernandez, X’s Head of Government Affairs. Following participation in Techstars, the company has secured its first institutional funding through a strategic investment from Erie Insurance. Spano also aims to close a seed round by year-end, adding that being a fully woman-led company in a male-dominated field is particularly significant.

“There’s a real funding gap for solo women-led teams in the U.S.,” says Spano. “As the only woman creating this type of technology, having a female perspective—bringing transparency, honesty, and truth—is truly essential.”