Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity
C2PA is an open technical standard that enables publishers, creators, and consumers to verify the origin and history of digital content. It's the foundation of content credentials on xcr.sh.
Backed by Industry Leaders
C2PA was founded by major technology and media companies working together to establish a universal standard for content authenticity:
Adobe
Microsoft
Intel
BBC
Sony
Arm
Truepic
How C2PA Works
1. Content Hashing
A unique cryptographic fingerprint (hash) is calculated from the content. Any change to the content, even a single pixel, results in a completely different hash.
2. Manifest Creation
A manifest is created containing assertions about the content: who made it, when, what tools were used, whether AI was involved, and permissions for use.
3. Digital Signature
The manifest is signed with the creator's private key. This signature can only be created by someone with the private key, proving authenticity.
4. Timestamp
A trusted timestamp is added to prove when the credential was created. This prevents backdating and establishes a clear timeline.
Standard Assertions
C2PA defines standard assertion types that can be included in credentials:
c2pa.actionsWhat actions were taken (created, edited, AI-generated)
c2pa.hash.dataThe cryptographic hash of the content
stds.schema-org.CreativeWorkCreator information following schema.org standards
c2pa.training-miningPermissions for AI training and data mining
Why C2PA Matters
Combat Misinformation
Verify content origin in an age of AI-generated media
Protect Creators
Prove ownership and fight content theft
AI Transparency
Clearly disclose AI involvement (required by EU AI Act)
Industry Standard
Interoperable across platforms and tools
C2PA on xcr.sh
xcr.sh implements C2PA v2.1 specification with the following features:
- Ed25519 cryptographic signatures
- SHA-256 content hashing
- Full assertion support (actions, creative work, training/mining)
- Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) for creator identity
- Public verification API