Open Source

◈ Provenance Layer

Cryptographic authenticity infrastructure for digital media

AI didn't create misinformation. It eliminated the cost of fabrication.

Anchor a File ↓ Learn More
How It Works

Three steps to provable authenticity

Every file gets a cryptographic fingerprint, an immutable history, and independent verifiability — no trusted third party required.

1
📤

Upload

Upload any file. Provenance Layer computes a SHA-256 hash and stores it as a genesis event.

2
⛓️

Anchor

Each version is chained cryptographically. Every transformation is logged with hash-linked events.

3
✅

Verify

Anyone can verify the full chain of custody. Tampered files are instantly detectable.

Real World

See it in action

A journalist receives a photo from a source in a conflict zone. Before publishing, they need to know: is this real?

Without Provenance Layer
Photo arrives via encrypted message
No metadata survives the transfer
Reverse image search finds nothing
Editor makes a judgment call
Published. Turns out it was AI-generated.
Retraction. Lawsuit. Reputation damaged.
With Provenance Layer
Photo arrives via encrypted message
Journalist queries the provenance API with the file
System returns: origin device, timestamp, GPS, chain of 3 verified transfers
Confidence score: HIGH — full chain intact
Editor publishes with provenance badge
Story holds up in court.
The Output

What you get

Every anchored file produces a machine-readable provenance record

Provenance Record
provenance-record.json 
{
  "asset_id": "a1b2c3d4e5f67890",
  "origin": {
    "device": "Canon EOS R5",
    "timestamp": "2026-03-14T08:23:41Z",
    "location": "34.0522° N, 118.2437° W",
    "author": "verified: sarah.chen@reuters.com"
  },
  "chain": [
    { "event": "GENESIS", "hash": "sha256:9f86d08...", "verified": true },
    { "event": "CROP", "hash": "sha256:d7a8fbb...", "actor": "Adobe Photoshop", "verified": true },
    { "event": "TRANSFER", "hash": "sha256:ef2d127...", "to": "reuters-wire", "verified": true }
  ],
  "confidence": "HIGH",
  "chain_valid": true,
  "events_checked": 3
}
⚡ Machine-readable
🔍 Independently verifiable
🔒 Tamper-evident
Think of it as

The trust layer the internet is missing

Without a provenance layer, digital evidence is trusted by default. That assumption no longer holds.

🔒
HTTPS for media
HTTPS proved who you're talking to. Provenance proves what you're looking at.
⛓️
Chain of custody for digital reality
Every transformation is recorded. Every version is traceable. Every claim is verifiable.
📊
Credit scoring for information
Confidence indicators, not truth judgments. You decide your threshold.
Without provenance
✗ Courts can't rely on digital evidence by default
✗ Platforms absorb escalating liability
✗ Studios lose control over likeness and IP
✗ AI systems amplify uncertainty at scale
With provenance
✓ Decisions happen with context, not guesswork
✓ Risk is quantifiable, not speculative
✓ Trust becomes infrastructure, not opinion
✓ Authenticity is inspectable by anyone
What We're Not

This is not about truth. It's about confidence.

Provenance Layer doesn't judge content. It doesn't suppress speech. It makes authenticity inspectable.

🚫
Not a censor
🚫
Not a moderator
🚫
Not a fact-checker
🚫
Not a political arbiter

"Silence is control. Context is freedom."

Built For

Who uses Provenance Layer

Any industry where the authenticity of digital artifacts determines outcomes.

📰
Newsrooms
Verify source photos before publication. Prove chain of custody in court.
⚖️
Legal & Compliance
Tamper-evident digital evidence. No expert witness needed.
🎬
Studios & Creators
Prove original creation. Protect IP with cryptographic origin records.
🏥
Insurance & Claims
Detect manipulated claims photos. Timestamp evidence at submission.
🏛️
Government
Authenticate official records and prevent document fraud at scale.
🤖
AI Platforms
Label AI-generated content at creation. Comply with emerging regulations.
🏦
Financial Services
Verify document authenticity for KYC, audits, and regulatory compliance.
🔬
Research & Science
Anchor datasets and results. Prevent fabrication in peer review.
Try It Now

Anchor & verify files

Upload a file to create its genesis anchor, or verify any file against its chain of custody.

◈
Drop a file or click to upload
File is uploaded to Provenance Layer and anchored with SHA-256
— or —
🔍
Drop a file to verify its integrity
File is hashed locally — never uploaded
Loading assets...
Integrate

Three lines of code. That's it.

Add cryptographic provenance to any application with our SDK. Works in Node.js, browsers, and TypeScript.

Terminal 
$ npm install @provenance/sdk
Anchor a file
anchor.js 
import { anchor } from '@provenance/sdk'

// One line — file is hashed and anchored
const proof = await anchor('./photo.jpg')

console.log(proof.asset_id)   // "a1b2c3d4e5f67890"
console.log(proof.hash)       // "sha256:..."
console.log(proof.action)     // "genesis"
Verify integrity
verify.js 
import { verify } from '@provenance/sdk'

// Check any file against its provenance chain
const result = await verify('./photo.jpg')

if (result.chain_status === 'VERIFIED') {
  console.log('✓ Authentic')     // Chain intact
} else {
  console.log('✗ Tampered')      // Chain broken
}
View SDK documentation →
FAQ

Common questions

Can't someone fake provenance too? +

Yes — but provenance makes forgery detectable, costly, and visible. You can forge a file. You cannot forge a consistent, verifiable history across systems without detection. The goal isn't to make fakes impossible. It's to make undetectable fakes impractical.

What about content created without provenance? +

Nothing happens to it. It isn't blocked, removed, or labeled fake. It simply has no verified history. Lack of provenance is not an accusation — it's a lack of information. Institutions decide how much confidence that warrants.

How is this different from regular metadata? +

Most metadata is descriptive. Provenance metadata is evidentiary. Traditional metadata is editable and trustless. Provenance metadata is cryptographically bound, tamper-evident, time-anchored, and independently verifiable. Metadata tells you what something claims to be. Provenance tells you what actually happened to it.

What if someone uploads stolen content? +

Uploading stolen content does not grant ownership. The system records a late entry, a claimed authorship, no prior history, and no verified origin. Earlier, continuous provenance beats later claims. Provenance records chronology, not legitimacy.

Is this a site or an app? +

Neither. Provenance Layer is infrastructure. It consists of a provenance engine, APIs and a metadata standard, and optional reference interfaces for inspection. Companies integrate through APIs and SDKs. It is not a consumer app or content platform.

The Provenance Layer makes the origin and chain-of-custody of digital media inspectable — so people and machines can assess confidence before acting — without deciding what's true.

Try It Now ↓
Traction

Early but real

Pre-revenue, open source, and already running in production.

Open Source
MIT Licensed
📦
8+ Assets Anchored
Live on production infrastructure
⛓️
Full Chain Verification
Every event cryptographically linked
🧰
SDK Ready
npm install @provenance/sdk
Get Started

Start anchoring today

Free for developers. Enterprise plans coming soon.

Open Source
Free forever
Self-host, full access to code, MIT licensed
View on GitHub →
RECOMMENDED
Cloud API
Free during beta
Hosted infrastructure, API keys, up to 1,000 anchors/month
Get API Access →
Enterprise
Contact us
Custom deployment, SLAs, dedicated support, compliance
Contact →