C2PA: how Big Tech is tackling online misinformation
This isn't just about spotting a photoshopped image; it’s about how deepfakes and generative AI can influence politics, compromise national security, and skew public perceptions of objective truth.
How do consumers distinguish between genuine and manipulated digital content?
The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) aims to tackle the rise of online misinformation through technical standards that authenticate the source and history of digital media.
Launched in January 2022 as a Joint Development Foundation project, C2PA is a collaborative effort among tech giants like Adobe, Arm, Intel, Microsoft, and Truepic. It aims to make it easier for consumers and platforms to distinguish between authentic and altered media, by providing a transparent and traceable media history that can be independently verified.
These standards operate by embedding “content credentials” (i.e. cryptographic signatures) from the moment an image is captured, detailing how it has been created and any further editing.
Ultimately, this strives to enhance trust and credibility in digital communications.
Where does legislation fit in?
The motive behind C2PA has also been echoed by legislative efforts to address digital authenticity challenges.
For example, the Deepfake Task Force Act was introduced by the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in 2021. The bill aimed to create a task force to help counter the threat posed by deepfake technology. However, there has yet to be significant movement on the bill since its introduction.
Herein lies a common issue: while tech-focused regulation can be invaluable in tackling wider problems, it can sometimes struggle to keep pace with a rapidly changing environment.
Tech companies taking the lead on C2PA is a welcome move, as their expertise can be used to create frameworks and rules to supplement and bolster current and pending legislation.
What can we expect from C2PA going forward?
For C2PA to succeed, it hinges on widespread adoption across industries.
For instance, the legal sector faces growing challenges around authenticating video and audio evidence in courtrooms. The reliability of digital evidence, critical for admissibility in trials, is increasingly under scrutiny as manipulative technologies advance.
Similarly, sectors like journalism and insurance, which rely heavily on the authenticity of visual documentation for reporting and processing claims, can also benefit from these standards.
C2PA is a pivotal initiative in the ongoing battle against digital misinformation and leverages the strengths and expertise across tech to build trust in digital media. As both consumers and developers, we must advocate for the continued growth and adoption of these accountability standards. In doing so, all stakeholders can ensure what we view remains authentic, making the online world safer.