International Association
for Cryptologic Research

Democratic discourse depends on citizens’ ability to verify information, yet this capacity is under systematic attack. We introduce Verification Cost Asymmetry (VCA)—a mathematical framework quantifying how much harder it is for different populations to check the same claims. Using complexity theory and cryptographic techniques, we show how to engineer ”spot-checkable” information bundles that trusted audiences can verify in constant time while adversaries face combinatorial verification costs. This provides the first rigorous foundation for designing information systems that structurally favor truth over disinformation. The approach transforms cognitive security from intuitive defense to mathematical engineering, with immediate applications to platform design, content authentication, and democratic resilience.