YouTube takes a small step towards identifying authentic videos.
The first C2PA Content Credentials arrive.
YouTube has started implementing new labels that indicate whether uploaded videos come from a real camera with unaltered footage and sound. The label "captured with a camera" can be seen in action thanks to Trupic, a digital content authentication service that uploaded a video to its channel, prompting the disclosure to appear in the video description panel. According to Trupic, this would be the "first authentic video with C2PA Content Credentials on YouTube."
The platform relies on the C2PA standard to detect the authenticity of uploaded videos, meaning this feature will only work with recording devices and tools that support the corresponding metadata. In YouTube's help page about this new feature, it is noted that the label "means that the creator used specific technology to verify the origin of their video and confirm that its audio and visuals have not been altered." Additionally, creators will need to use tools that have version 2.1 or higher of the C2PA for the label to appear, suggesting that it will not be common to see this label for some time.
Companies like Leica began implementing content credentials in hardware last year; however, it is still unclear whether these credentials will trigger YouTube labels. In a communication via email, Google indicated that it has been "exploring" how to convey C2PA information to YouTube viewers and referred to its blog where it explains its goal of increasing transparency regarding AI-generated content on the platform.
It is important to mention that videos do not need to be unedited to receive the label; what matters is that each step of the process supports the C2PA and avoids:
- Edits that break the chain of provenance or make it impossible to trace the video back to its original source. For example, if you capture an image with C2PA metadata and then save it in your phone's photo album, which does not support version 2.1 or higher, it could break the chain of provenance.
- Significant alterations to the nature or central content of the video, including its sounds or visuals.
- Edits that make the video incompatible with C2PA standards (version 2.1 and higher).
Additionally, Google launched a "manipulated or synthetic content" label earlier this year that requires YouTube users to identify their uploads containing AI-generated content.
