Glossary
Content provenance
Cryptographic metadata that proves where a piece of media originated and whether it has been edited since.
The C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) standard, adopted in 2024-2025 by major camera makers and AI companies, signs images and video at the moment of capture and tracks edits as a chain of signed manifests. Goal: when a viewer encounters a piece of media, they can verify whether it came from a real camera or an AI generator, and whether it's been altered. Adoption is uneven; absence of provenance doesn't prove fakery, but its presence is a strong authenticity signal. See also: deepfake.
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