Inlayer Builds a Trust Layer for Verified Human Communications, Podcast

“Software can’t fake physics.” In this Technology Reseller News podcast recorded at Alianza Navigate 2026, James Lee, CEO of Inlayer, discusses how the company is evolving beyond Phonism and building a new trust layer for communications in an era of AI-driven fraud. Inlayer owns Phonism, known for SIP device management and security. Lee says the company is now expanding into compliance automation, helping service providers address requirements such as KYC and E911 while creating new verified communication services. The core idea is simple: prove that a real human is present before a sensitive communication begins. Inlayer is developing patented “tap-to-prove” endpoints that work similarly to tap-to-pay. A user physically taps an unlocked phone against a card, sticker or other assigned endpoint, creating cryptographic proof of presence. “That physical act adds another form of human-factor authentication,” Lee says. “Software can’t fake physics.” The system can also collect identity and, with consent, location information before creating a trust token that can be passed to the communications provider. Lee says the need is growing rapidly as AI makes synthetic voice, deepfake video and automated fraud easier and cheaper to produce at scale. Rather than trying to detect fraud after it occurs, Inlayer wants service providers to block unverified traffic before a call, message or online session begins. That creates a potential new revenue opportunity for UCaaS, CCaaS, CPaaS and voice providers by allowing them to offer premium verified-human communications. The company is also building what Lee calls a broader “trust stack,” combining verified presence, identity, consent and immutable records based on vCon standards. Those records could include verified participants, recordings, transcripts, documents, votes and other elements of a communication that may later need to be audited or defended in court. Inlayer is currently looking for development partners, communications providers and enterprises interested in testing the technology and helping bring verified-human communications to market. Visit Inlayer.com to learn more.