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Glossary

Content Credentials: the signed record inside a file

Content Credentials are the user-facing name for C2PA manifests: a signed, tamper-evident record attached to an image, video or document that lists who issued it, which tool was used and what actions, including AI generation, were performed.

Definitions and isGenAI behaviour as of October 2026. Updated .

Reveal a file’s Content CredentialsFrequently asked questions
Controlled example PNG file that carries this record: Content Credentials found

test-signed.pngPNG file · controlled example

  1. Signature + IHDR
  2. iTXt XML:com.adobe.xmp
  3. tEXt parameters
  4. tEXt prompt / workflow
  5. tEXt invokeai_metadata
  6. eXIf
  7. caBX C2PA manifestrecord
  8. IDAT pixels
  9. IEND

Content Credentials found

A signed manifest describes how the file was made.

Signer, recording tool, actions and the signature check result are reported separately, so you can weigh each one.

Open the Content Credentials checker →
Content Credentials found: where this record sits inside a PNG file and what the isGenAI report says about it. The picture is a code-drawn controlled example that carries this record; download it and check it yourself.

What a credential contains

A credential typically shows the issuer (such as Adobe Inc., OpenAI or Google LLC), the app or device, whether generative AI was used, the actions taken and the date. Adobe’s “CR” icon, LinkedIn’s C2PA icon and TikTok’s automatic labels all display information read from the same record. Credentials can be embedded in the file and, with some vendors, also stored in a cloud so they can be recovered when a file is stripped.

A credential describes the signer’s claims. It does not rate the picture’s truthfulness.

How isGenAI uses Content Credentials

isGenAI reveals the credential that generators such as Firefly, ChatGPT and FLUX embed: the AI image detector lists it under “How we checked” as a signed creation record with its validation state, signer trust, claim generator and actions, and the C2PA checker shows the full manifest. Signature validity and signer trust are always reported as two facts.

When a credential is missing, the report says so and points you to the original file.

Where to see them in the wild

LinkedIn shows a C2PA icon on signed media, TikTok labels content from credentials and YouTube shows “Captured with a camera” from unedited C2PA 2.1 captures. Instagram, Facebook and Threads read the credential at upload to label posts but serve copies without it.

How to use this term when checking a file

  1. Upload the original file to the AI image detector or the tool named on the page.
  2. Find the finding that uses this term under “How we checked” and read the source field it names.
  3. Weigh it by kind: a signed record, a declared field, a saved prompt and a matching copy are different strengths of evidence.
  4. Remember that absence of a record is not evidence of a human author.

Reveal a file’s Content Credentials

Frequently asked questions

Are Content Credentials the same as C2PA?

Content Credentials is the name for the C2PA manifest as users see it; C2PA is the standard that defines it.

What does the CR icon mean?

The media carries a Content Credential; clicking it shows the issuer, tool and whether AI was used.

How do I see the credential in my file?

Upload the original to isGenAI’s C2PA checker or AI image detector; the report shows the signed record and its validation.

Do credentials survive social media?

Rarely. Most platforms strip them on upload; LinkedIn and TikTok display information from them, and TikTok says it attaches credentials to its downloads.

Sources

Definitions follow the published standards linked above; the isGenAI behaviour described is the deployed checker as of October 2026.