WISM: A Digital Paper Trail: Tracking Content in a World of Deepfakes

Once upon a time, "provenance" was a term reserved for fine art, rare jewels, and antiques. Fast forward to today, and it’s a must-have in the media and entertainment industry—because, let’s face it, in an era of deepfakes and digital trickery, seeing is no longer believing. [From an interview with Polly Hickling Women in Streaming Media]We’ve all been there—sharing a link with a disclaimer like, "Not sure if this is legit, but…" It’s a sign of the times. Misinformation spreads like wildfire, and even the most eagle-eyed news consumers struggle to tell fact from fiction. While reputable media outlets work tirelessly to fact-check, the digital landscape makes it all too easy to manipulate photos, videos, and audio. The result? A crisis of trust.

Enter C2PA: The Digital Truth Serum

The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) is an open technical standard that helps track the origin of digital media—think of it as a DNA test for content. Whether it’s a photo, video, or audio clip, C2PA provides a transparent record of where it came from, who touched it, and what changes were made along the way.

We caught up with Olga Kornienko, COO and co-founder of EZDRM, a DRM-as-a-Service provider. While Digital Rights Management (DRM) and content provenance aren’t identical, Olga and her team are strong supporters of C2PA. DRM focuses on securing and encrypting content, ensuring only authorized users can access it. Meanwhile, provenance is all about transparency—it allows modifications but logs every change, creating a permanent record of its evolution.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Edits

Let’s say Olga snaps a gorgeous beach photo. With C2PA, she signs it as the original creator. Now, Polly comes along and decides to Photoshop her dog into the scene. No problem—C2PA logs Polly’s edit. Later, a designer tweaks the colors, and an influencer adds a filter. Each step of the transformation is recorded in the content credentials manifest, ensuring that anyone can trace the content’s journey with a single click.

Who's Behind the Curtain?

C2PA was launched in 2021 by Microsoft and Adobe, with backing from industry heavyweights like BBC, Intel, Arm, and Truepic. Today, nearly 250 media and tech companies are on board, all working toward a future where digital content comes with a verifiable history.

Why Should You Care?

C2PA isn’t just for journalists or tech geeks—it matters to everyone:

• Content Creators: Ensure your work is properly attributed and protected.
• Publishers: Make informed decisions about the authenticity of what you share.
• Consumers: Verify the truth behind the content you see online.
• Tech Innovators: Build tools that support C2PA for a more transparent internet.

But let’s be clear—C2PA doesn’t tell us whether content is “good” or “bad,” “true” or “false.” It simply tells us who made it and how it changed—and in today’s digital jungle, that’s a powerful tool.

Beyond transparency, the C2PA manifest data offers key benefits:

• Origin Tracking – Identifies the original creator and timestamp of the content.
• Modification History – Logs every edit, alteration, or enhancement.
• Ownership & Rights Management – Helps manage copyrights, licensing, and intellectual property.
• Verification & Authenticity – Ensures the content hasn’t been tampered with, fighting misinformation.

It’s time to share these benefits with those around you and click on the C2PA icon the next time you see it. Consumers deserve transparency. Let’s help them see what’s hiding behind the pixels.