Finding a credential is the first step
A Content Credential is a C2PA manifest that can contain signed claims about a file's origin and edits. Software can find the manifest in a supported container, but presence alone does not validate it. Validation checks the digital signature, the signing credential and whether the manifest still matches the asset. The C2PA specification defines those checks.
Free AI Wiper detects recognized portable C2PA carriers in supported files. It does not perform cryptographic C2PA validation or certify the signer. Its report should be read as “supported record found” or “not found,” not “authentic” or “fake.”
A practical verification sequence
- Obtain the original file when possible. A screenshot or recompressed copy may have lost the credential.
- Use a C2PA-conforming validator to view the manifest and its validation status. Check the signer, claims and any warnings, rather than relying only on an icon.
- Decide whether the signer and recorded actions answer your question. A valid signature shows that the signed claim has not been silently altered; it does not prove that the depicted event happened or that every claim is true.
- Keep the original when provenance is needed for an archive, publication or client handoff.
If no credential is found, that is an absence of this evidence, not evidence of human creation. The C2PA explainer describes provenance and its trust model. For video-specific carriers, see how AI video detection works.