Content provenance (C2PA)
Content provenance is a record, attached to a photo, video or audio file, of where it came from and how it was edited — including whether AI was used. The open C2PA standard, shown to users as "Content Credentials", is backed by camera makers, software firms and news organisations.
In one line, for a 12-year-old
Content provenance is a picture's ID card that says where it came from and what was changed.
An example
Clicking a small "CR" icon on a news photo shows which camera took it and that it was only cropped.
Why it matters to people
As fakes get better, proving what's real matters more for journalism, courts and elections. Provenance shows history; it can't tell you whether the content is true.