To prove or confirm the genuineness or validity of something. It involves verifying the truth, origin, or authorship of a subject, document, or identity. This process often utilizes evidence, credentials, or established protocols to establish that something is what it claims to be. Authenticating can apply to diverse fields, including art, cybersecurity, data, and personal identification. The process aims to eliminate or minimize doubt by ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the item under examination, and protects it from fraud, forgery or alteration.
Authenticates meaning with examples
- The museum hired a specialist to authenticate the painting, carefully examining brushstrokes, canvas composition, and provenance documents. After thorough analysis, the expert was able to authenticate the artwork as a genuine piece created by the artist, significantly increasing its value.
- Before accessing sensitive financial information, the bank requires users to authenticate their identity using a password and two-factor authentication. This process authenticates the user, ensuring only authorized individuals can access their account.
- Forensic scientists use DNA testing to authenticate the identity of a suspect at a crime scene. The DNA evidence must authenticate that the subject was present in the location and involved in the crime.
- To prevent the spread of misinformation, social media platforms are working to authenticate news sources before allowing articles to be published, marking verified sources to establish credibility with readers and prevent the dissemination of fake content.
- The software program was designed to authenticate the integrity of a file. It can check for any tampering of the file by authenticating the data against a checksum to guarantee that the file has not been modified.