Prove your content is real — and that it came from you
AI-generated images, deepfake videos, and manipulated media are eroding trust in digital content at scale. SSL's C2PA certificates and CAWG Certificates let publishers, journalists, photographers, broadcasters, and content platforms embed cryptographic provenance into every piece of content ā so anyone can verify who created it, when, and whether it's been altered.
The authenticity crisis in digital media requires a technical solution
The proliferation of generative AI has made it trivially easy to create convincing synthetic images, audio, and video. Simultaneously, legitimate content is routinely cropped, decontextualized, and re-shared without attribution. News organizations, regulators, platforms, and audiences are demanding technical mechanisms — not just policies — to establish the provenance of digital content.
The C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) standard, developed by Adobe, Microsoft, Google, BBC, Reuters, and others, provides that mechanism. SSL issues:
- C2PA Certificates — for signing content with cryptographic provenance assertions under the C2PA standard
- CAWG Certificates — for embedding verified organizational or individual identity into C2PA content credentials under the Content Authenticity Working Group standard
Two components of the content authenticity stack
C2PA Certificates
Cryptographic provenance for every piece of content you create. C2PA certificates enable creators, publishers, and platforms to attach a tamper-evident credential to images, video, audio, and documents ā recording who created the content, what tools were used, and whether it has been modified since creation.
CAWG Certificates
Embed verified organizational or individual identity into content credentials. CAWG (Content Authenticity Working Group) Certificates allow organizations and individuals to attach a verified identity claim to C2PA content credentials — going beyond the content’s provenance to assert who the publisher or creator is.
Which certificate do you need?
Answer two quick questions and we'll recommend the right certificate ā or combination ā for your use case.
1 ā What do you primarily need to prove about your content?
2 ā What best describes your situation?
C2PA Certificate ā start here
A C2PA Certificate signs the content manifest ā proving your content is authentic, unaltered, and establishing a tamper-evident chain of custody from creation to distribution. It also lets you disclose AI involvement in a standardized, machine-readable format. You don't need verified identity attribution in the credential itself ā provenance and tamper detection are what matter.
CAWG Certificate ā and a C2PA Certificate
A CAWG Certificate embeds your verified organizational or personal name directly inside the C2PA manifest ā so viewers see who created the content, with identity confirmed by SSL as a trusted CA. CAWG assertions are embedded inside C2PA-signed manifests, so you'll need a C2PA Certificate as the foundational component too.
Both ā C2PA Certificate + CAWG Certificate
For the complete content authenticity stack: a C2PA Certificate signs and protects the manifest (provenance, edit history, AI disclosure), and a CAWG Certificate embeds your verified organizational or personal name inside that signed manifest. Together they answer "Is this credential authentic?" and "Who made this ā and can that be verified?"
Who needs content credentials?
News organizations & wire services
Sign photographs, video, and articles at the point of creation. Downstream publishers and platforms can verify provenance and detect manipulation.
Publishers deploying AI-assisted content
Embed C2PA provenance disclosing AI involvement at creation ā meeting EU AI Act and platform disclosure requirements.
Broadcasters & documentary filmmakers
Establish chain-of-custody provenance for footage from capture to broadcast.
Content platforms & social networks
Verify and display content credentials from C2PA-supporting creators and publishers.
Compliance & standards
C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity)
SSL issues C2PA certificates — the open technical standard for content provenance, supported by Adobe, Google, Microsoft, BBC, Reuters, and others
CAWG (Content Authenticity Working Group)
SSL issues CAWG Certificates — the standard for embedding verified identity into C2PA credentials
EU AI Act
Requires labeling and disclosure of AI-generated content — C2PA credentials provide the technical mechanism
CAI (Content Authenticity Initiative)
Industry coalition promoting content credentials adoption — C2PA is the technical standard it champions
