Simple guide

What is Content Provenance?

Content Provenance is a saved record about a file. It can show where the file came from. It can show who signed it. It can also show if the file changed.

Short answer

It is like a history card. It can travel with a photo, video, sound file, or text file.

1. What can Content Provenance show?

Who signed the file

A person, group, camera, or tool may add a digital seal.

How it was made

The record may say a camera took it. It may say a person or AI made it.

What was used

A file may list the photos, clips, sounds, or other files used to make it.

Whether it changed

A checker can test if the file still fits the saved record.

2. What can it not prove?

Content Provenance does not prove that each claim in a file is true. A real photo can have a false note. A signed video can tell a false story. The record gives you facts about the file. You still need to judge what the file says.

3. How does Content Provenance work?

  1. A camera, person, or tool makes or edits a file.
  2. A tool saves facts about that work in a Provenance Record.
  3. The tool adds a digital seal. The seal helps keep the record safe.
  4. A checker reads the record. It tests if the file still fits the record.

4. Who makes the rules?

Open groups make the rules. C2PA makes the main Content Provenance rules. CAWG makes rules for creator names. IPTC makes labels that tell how media was made.

Try it: Use the free checker in your web browser. Your file stays on your device.