I am very much a novice, but here goes...<p>I don&#x27;t think the paper was trying to speak to truncation generally. Truncation is a weakening of the crypto by definition. (Reduce bits =&gt; reduce security.) It is easier (cheaper) to find a collision if one uses a truncated hash. That doesn&#x27;t make it Dangerous or Safe; just quantitatively reduced.<p>If the authors are trying to establish anything, it seems to be, &quot;Yes, collisions do matter!&quot;