We’re living in the digital age, and this has had a profound effect not only on how we consume content, but also on the pervasiveness of disinformation. Manipulated digital content has emerged as a whole new threat to the broadcast and video industry, with AI-technology leading to a surge in deepfake disinformation. Keeping live and on-demand content secure and safeguarding its authenticity is therefore critical for the integrity and commercial viability of broadcasters and video service providers. The need to protect content from being manipulated and passed off as genuine has spurred industry initiatives such as the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA).
The Rise of Digital Manipulation
The ubiquity of generative AI technology has escalated concerns around content manipulation over recent years. Those with malicious intent can easily create highly realistic fake videos, photos, and audio clips to spread false information or cause reputational damage. These techniques are being widely used to influence views around emotive subjects such as global conflicts and change outcomes of events such as national elections. Deepfake and other technology may be used to generate entirely new fake content or to edit an existing piece by altering or replacing part of the genuine content. For broadcasters, ensuring the authenticity of what is aired, whether it’s a news segment, a live event, or a branded piece of content has become a critical priority.
Proving Digital Provenance with C2PA
Backed by the BBC and other leading media organisations and technology companies such as Adobe, Intel, Microsoft, and Sony, C2PA is an open technical standard designed to combat content falsification. It aims to tackle the challenge of disinformation by providing a standardised way of verifying the authenticity of digital media. The process relies on a system of secure metadata being attached to digital files that trace the content’s lifecycle. Content creators can include details such as where, when, and how a piece of media was created and edited, which helps to ensure the authenticity of content by making it easier to verify the source and detect any alterations.
The embedded digital certificate detailing the chain of provenance is cryptographically secured, ensuring that it cannot be tampered with or removed. This helps video service providers ensure that content is legitimate and that their audience is receiving the authentic version. The aim is that C2PA-compliant platforms will provide users, whether viewers, editors, or distributors, with this information, making it easier for them to trust the content they’re sharing or consuming.
Although implementing C2PA will inevitably require investment in the right tools and technology that can embed, read, and verify provenance metadata, not only will it help to safeguard viewer trust and organisational credibility, but as regulations surrounding content authenticity tighten, having C2PA-verified processes in place will likely help broadcasters stay ahead of compliance requirements.
The Road Ahead
There’s no doubt that digital misinformation is becoming more widespread and presents a significant risk to the future of the broadcast industry, and to society in general. Earlier this year, the World Economic Forum ranked disinformation as the most severe risk that the world faces in the short term.
It’s clear that by mitigating the risk of unauthorised and manipulated content, C2PA brings significant benefits for the industry. It will enable content providers and broadcasters to guarantee to their audience that what they’re watching is legitimate, which will cut down on the spread of misinformation, and help to enhance trust and credibility in an era where fake news and doctored videos have become rampant.
Although it isn’t a silver bullet and will likely be most effective when combined with other tools and techniques such as digital fingerprinting and watermarking, by certifying the source, safeguarding the provenance, and securing the distribution of content, C2PA is a big step in the right direction.
