John Ross reports in Times Higher Education that "New ‘trust mark’ promises to certify ‘personally earned’ degrees" (October 27, 2026). What makes this newsworthy is that the company claiming to have a way to guarantee students actually did the work is backed by Dr Alan Finkel a previous chief scientist, and the University of Tasmania.
Startup Proudly Human partnered University of Tasmania on an academic integrity standard, to ensure students actually did the assessment, not AI. That sounds good, until you realize all Australian universities, and vocational institutions are already required to do this, by law. In addition, professional associations which accredit degrees also check the program, assessment, staff and talk to the students (as Proudly Human plan to do).
This is not to say Proudly Human's approach will not be welcomed. Some will doubt the ability of federal authorities to actually check university assessment procedures. However, the claims made by Proudly Human need to be checked. For example, is the process used a "standard"? Usually a standard is issued by an independent body, & is available for all to obtain a copy of and use, either free, or for a nominal fee. Is Proudly Human proposing to make their process available?
"Assured Assessment" and "Proudly Human' are claimed to be trademarks. However, IP Australia's records indicate this is "Under examination". The applicant is 23 First Pty Ltd in Melbourne, through Griffith Hack. Also there is no trademark "Proudly Human'" issued by IP Australia, and ASIC has no business registered under that name or "Assured Assessment".
