Verification For Photos

In an era of all-too-realistic deepfakes, how can you prove that the photos you take on your smartphone are authentic? The San Diego-based startup Truepic has a verification solution that could help. Through a partnership with Qualcomm, whose chips power hundreds of millions of Android phones, Truepic’s software analyzes everything about an image—including metadata such as when and where it was snapped, and whether it has been manipulated in any way—using a dedicated mode within the camera app. Once its analysis is complete, the app embeds the verified information into the photo’s file, allowing recipients to gauge the photo’s authenticity themselves. Android device makers will have access to Foresight next year, with the phones reaching our pockets in the spring of 2022. —Jason Cipriani

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