How we verify
A certificate is only as strong as the review behind it. Here is exactly what we examine before any certificate is issued — no black box, no rubber stamp.
File forensics
Every uploaded file is fingerprinted at intake: a SHA-256 hash uniquely identifies the exact file, a perceptual hash lets us recognize the image even after resizing or re-encoding, and the file's internal structure is inspected for signs of manipulation.
Metadata analysis
We capture and examine the metadata embedded in your files — creation and modification dates, the software that authored them, camera details, and author fields. Metadata alone proves little, but combined with your other evidence it corroborates the story of how the work was made.
Automated AI screening
Submissions run through an automated screen for signals of AI generation. This screen only informs the reviewer — it never decides. A human analyst is always decisive, and our conclusions are expressed as evidence-based confidence, never as accusations.
Cryptographic validation of Content Credentials (C2PA)
If your file carries C2PA Content Credentials — the provenance standard supported by a growing set of cameras and creative tools — we validate them cryptographically at upload: a tamper check that the credentials still match the file, verification of the digital signature, validation of the signer's certificate chain, and anchoring of that chain to the official C2PA trust list. Verified credentials become powerful, machine-checkable evidence in your review. Almost no creator-facing service performs this validation.
Human analyst review
Every submission is reviewed by a certaByte analyst against our internal trust rubric. The analyst examines your finished work, up to ten supporting documents — RAW files, work-in-progress shots, time-lapses, layered source files — and your creator profile, including your public presence and publication history.
The identity-verification gate
The strongest claims require a real person behind them. Top certaScore™ ratings are reserved for identity-verified creators, and takedown filings always require identity verification. Anonymous accounts can't earn Strong Confidence — and can't file takedowns. Thieves won't step into the light; verified creators will.
The result: your certaScore™
Everything above resolves into a single confidence rating on your certificate:
Nothing can be 100% certain, so the certaScore™ speaks the language of probability — which is exactly why platforms, clients, and buyers can believe it. The more complete your evidence, the higher your score can be.
Why does third-party review matter?
Because in a takedown dispute, it's your word against theirs. Anyone can attach files to a claim — and with AI, a thief can fabricate convincing "supporting documents" for work they never made. Self-supplied evidence leaves the platform to guess who to believe. An independent party that verified the creator's identity and examined the evidence — usually before any dispute existed — is what turns a plea into proof.
And it cuts both ways: when a thief files a takedown against the real creator, the certificate is a timestamped, third-party attestation that predates their claim — the backbone of the appeal.
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