Check images
Content Credentials (C2PA)
Content Credentials are a signed record, embedded in the file, of who made an image and what was done to it. When present and valid they are the strongest evidence Sens has.
What C2PA is
C2PA is the open standard behind Content Credentials, backed by the Content Authenticity Initiative. A producer (a camera, an editor, an AI generator) writes a manifest into the file describing what it did, then signs it with a certificate. Anyone can later check that the manifest has not been altered and see who signed it.
OpenAI (ChatGPT and DALL·E images), Adobe (Firefly, Photoshop, Lightroom) and several camera makers sign their output. Most other tools do not, yet.
What the checker shows
- Producer. The claim generator that wrote the manifest, for example OpenAI DALL·E or Adobe Photoshop 25.x, or a camera body.
- Signature status. Whether the signature validates and whether the issuing certificate is on a known trust list.
- Assertions. Edit actions, capture conditions, AI training exclusions, source images ("ingredients"), and any custom assertions.
- Chain of custody. Every signed step from capture through edits, in order.
How it affects the verdict
| Manifest | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Verified, records an AI generator | AI-generated, with the generator and signer named |
| Verified, records AI editing of an existing image | AI-edited |
| Verified, records a camera capture and no AI steps | Camera-captured |
| Present but the signature does not validate | Treated as a declared claim only, with a caveat |
| Missing | The verdict falls back to metadata and the visual detector |
When verification fails or nothing is found
"No manifest found" means the file either never had one or it was stripped. Common causes:
- Re-saving through tools that do not preserve C2PA (most viewers, many editors)
- Social platforms re-encoding images on upload
- Screenshots: a screenshot is a new file with no inherited credentials
- Format conversion (JPEG to WebP, PNG to JPEG, and so on)
A failed signature is more informative than a missing manifest. It usually means the file was edited after signing without the editing tool re-signing it. The checker shows exactly what does not match.
Absence is not evidence
Most AI images in the wild carry no Content Credentials, because most generators do not sign and most sharing strips what was there. A missing manifest says nothing about whether the image is AI. A verified one says a great deal.
The C2PA checker page runs the same analyzer with the explanation focused on provenance.