An international appeal from the ARIA / Traffic Light of Trust (TLT) project. #95
Description
An international appeal from the ARIA / Traffic Light of Trust (TLT) project
Dear representatives of international organizations, digital platforms, media, research institutions, and technology companies,
Humanity is entering a new information reality.
Illusion and truth have become intertwined to the point where distinguishing them is increasingly difficult.
A fabricated video with a “statement from a world leader.”
A synthetic voice mimicking a well-known business figure and persuading victims to transfer money.
A photorealistic “breaking news” report about a disaster that never occurred.
Millions of people encounter lifelike materials generated or altered by artificial intelligence. These fabrications influence elections, public reactions, markets, and personal security. They affect how societies interpret events. They disrupt trust.
We no longer know whom we believe. We no longer know what is real.
In past decades, a document and a signature were markers of authenticity.
In the digital age, authenticity must be based on verifiable origin. Every image, video, audio recording, or text needs a digital “passport,” similar to how every person carries an identification document.
The ARIA initiative proposes a practical and universal method:
Traffic Light of Trust (TLT), an international labeling framework that brings clarity and transparency to the media space.
TLT combines a visible indicator with verifiable metadata.
The system uses a set of simple, universal signals:
Green square — human-created content without AI involvement.
Yellow triangle — hybrid content: human plus AI, including filters and generated elements.
Red circle — fully synthetic content produced by algorithms.
White diamond — unknown origin or conflicting information.
If a piece of content has no label, this absence serves as a signal. A transparent source is never afraid to be identified.
A new dimension of TLT is evolving: dynamic and percentage-based markers.
Every file can carry not only a color icon but also a precise ratio showing human and AI contribution:
-100% Human
-65% Human / 35% AI
-100% AI
The system updates the label automatically.
When content is edited, enhanced, or filtered, its origin data changes accordingly.
This makes TLT a next-generation technology for automated transparency across the entire lifecycle of digital content.
Technical foundation
TLT is built on top of the existing C2PA standard, which is already implemented by Adobe, Microsoft, Google, BBC, and other members of the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI).
Each media item receives:
• a digital signature with author and source information
• a record of AI tools used and their contribution percentage
• a history of edits and updates
• a timestamp and verifiable hash
These details are embedded in metadata and displayed to users through simple icons.
Verification can be performed via built-in viewers or independent provenance checkers.
TLT links two layers:
a clear visual indicator and a provable technical foundation.
Why action is needed
Synthetic media are increasing rapidly.
Analysts estimate that by 2026 most images and videos online will be created or altered with AI.
The effects are already visible:
• fabricated political clips reach millions in minutes
• cloned voices are used in financial fraud
• livestreams rely on filters that conceal real appearance
• growing uncertainty undermines media institutions and public communication
This is not only a technological issue. It impacts security, economics, and culture.
Global momentum
Many countries and companies have begun implementing transparency norms:
• China requires all platforms to label synthetic media
• European Union mandates AI origin disclosures in the AI Act (Article 50)
• United States implements Executive Order 14110 and NIST guidelines for watermarking
• India, Japan, Canada, Singapore are developing national approaches to labeling
• Adobe, Meta, Google, OpenAI, TikTok have launched auto-labeling initiatives
Yet all these approaches remain fragmented.
The world needs a unified, international trust standard.
Why TLT matters
TLT is compatible with existing frameworks.
It strengthens them and provides a clear, visual UX layer understood by everyone.
Key strengths of TLT
• universal visual language
• alignment with C2PA, W3C, and ETSI standards
• open licenses: MIT and Creative Commons BY 4.0
• integration through APIs, editors, devices, and media platforms
• support for audio, video, images, and text
• adaptation for real-time streams and filters
TLT can be embedded into smartphones, editing software, CMS systems, cameras, and social platforms. It turns transparency into a built-in property of digital communication.
Social value
TLT benefits society through:
• reduction of misleading or inaccurate content
• protection of authors and rights holders
• development of media literacy
• new norms of honest digital interaction
• strengthened responsibility among content creators
TLT is not a mechanism of control.
It is a framework of clarity and respect.
Every individual deserves to know who created the material and how it was made.
Invitation to collaboration
We welcome cooperation with all stakeholders in the digital ecosystem.
International organizations can explore TLT as a foundation for global transparency practices.
Technology companies can evaluate integration of TLT within their tools and interfaces.
Media, educational platforms, and universities can use TLT in training and source analysis.
Public institutions can consider TLT approaches when shaping ethical and regulatory guidelines.
TLT is open for development and joint work.
A shared direction
TLT is more than a proposal.
It is part of a global movement toward digital honesty.
Together we can build an information environment where every file, image, video, and sound has verified origin.
Where transparency becomes normal.
Where trust becomes a shared value.
Four colors. Four shapes. One meaning — trust.
Traffic Light of Trust — a common language of transparency for the planet.
Sincerely,
Andrey V. Chaukin
Architect, Researcher
Initiator of the ARIA / Traffic Light of Trust (TLT) project.