C2PA: understand what content provenance can establish

C2PA develops an open technical standard for content provenance, commonly presented as Content Credentials. The official FAQ explains signed information about the creation and editing of digital media and the mechanisms used to detect changes to that information. It is useful when interpreting a provenance panel or designing how an archive records such evidence. Inspect the available credential details and record the tool, validation result and assertions actually shown. Keep the original file where appropriate, since copying or transforming an asset can affect its associated metadata. If the file uses ingredients from other sources, note which parts of their history are available and which are not. Provenance and factual truth answer different questions. A record of how a file was produced does not by itself establish that a scene was unstaged or that its caption is accurate. Missing credentials also do not prove deception. Treat provenance as one evidence stream, alongside source context and independent corroboration, and avoid reducing it to a universal real-or-fake badge.

Editorial review: 2026-09-23. New evidence may change this account.

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