Why Hash Network Exists?

Organizations like the C2PA and the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) have made significant progress in advancing provenance standards. They have developed tools and specifications to enable the creation, management, and updating of provenance data, paving the way for a more authentic and trustworthy digital ecosystem. These efforts have been instrumental in improving content authenticity. However, the way provenance is currently stored presents a critical limitation that must be addressed.

The Problem with Current Provenance Systems Most current systems, including those developed under the C2PA standards, store provenance data as metadata embedded directly in the content itself. While this approach works in controlled environments, it has significant vulnerabilities:

• Erasability: Metadata can be stripped away or overwritten, leaving the content without a traceable history.

• Tampering: Provenance data embedded in the content can be modified, undermining its integrity and trustworthiness.

• Limited Accessibility: Since the metadata is tied to the specific file, it is not universally accessible, making provenance verification cumbersome or impossible when the file is separated from its data.

The Adobe Content Credentials Cloud (ACCC): A Centralized Attempt: Adobe has recognized these limitations and introduced alternatives like the Adobe Content Credentials Cloud (ACCC). The ACCC provides a centralized, cloud-based storage system for provenance manifests, allowing attribution and history data to persist even if metadata is stripped from the content.

While this approach addresses some challenges, it introduces new problems:

• Centralization: The ACCC is proprietary and relies on Adobe’s infrastructure, making it vulnerable to central point-of-failure risks.

• Limited Ecosystem: Currently, the ACCC is only available to Adobe tools, restricting its usability for broader applications across diverse platforms.

• Not Open Source: The lack of openness makes it inaccessible to developers and organizations that prioritize open standards and community-driven solutions.

• Not Tamper-Proof: As a centralized system, it does not inherently guarantee the immutability and transparency needed to prevent unauthorized alterations.