Fake/‎Proof

FakeProof (F/P) proactively enhances the ability to verify the reality of video and audio recordings -- making them proof* against faking. F/P is as easy to use as the video app on your phone -- just press record!

* -- Of course, nothing is completely proof against faking (see Caveat below), but calling it Fake/Resistant is less catchy.

Contact: fakeproof@edom-electric.com

Updates

A recent article by Michael Rodgers with strong parallels with Fake/Proof: https://michaelrogers.com/blog/2024/01/15/there-solution-deepfakes 

New! Announcing the "Fake it till you break it" Bounty Program

New (v1.0.17)! OpenTimestamps bitcoin blockchain attestation

New (v1.0.16)! Android SafetyNet attestation

New! Basic data extraction tool is available at: https://github.com/thandal/fakeproof-tools

Why is this important?

Regular people, taking videos with cell-phone cameras, have been key players in documenting and organizing response to all kinds of critical world events. But there are a lot of attacks -- old and new -- on our common understanding of what actually happened. One of the biggest is the manipulation of videos, either by traditional video staging or editing, or by the growing sophistication of deep fake videos. While this isn't the source of the fragmentation of basic reality that is affecting modern society, it is a powerful contributing factor. So we think its important to fortify our ability to record reality.

Example usage patterns

Attestation -- Use FakeProof to attest to a covid test or vaccination.

Documentation -- Use FakeProof to verifiably document real world events (for example: protests, police interactions, conflict zones)

Journalism -- Use FakeProof to conduct verifiable interviews (or document the real content as an interviewee)

Alibi -- People who believe they might be targeted by falsified recordings can use FakeProof to record themselves. They can keep the recordings private unless they want to show what they were actually doing at a particular time.

How does it work?

(see Details)

F/P allows you to record several tracks of data, simultaneously, into a single standard MP4 file that is compatible with normal media tools.

F/P uses several methods to protect against manipulating or faking these tracks. These include:

There are several other more sophisticated methods under investigation.

How do I verify a recording?

(see Details)

Each F/P recording stores all the information needed for verification, including metadata, signatures, and sensor data. To verify a F/P recording, simply open it in the F/P App and click Verify (note: this requires an internet connection so that the F/P Server can be consulted for signature and timestamp validity). You can use any common file sharing method to exchange recordings -- though some systems may re-encode the recording which will destroy the F/P side-channels.

NOTE: Absolutely no personal information or the content of your recording is shared with the F/P Server. The only information shared and stored is:

Caveat: Reality vs Truth

By reality, we mean that the events captured in the recording actually happened -- it does not mean that those real world events are not susceptible to manipulation (for example by using actors or provocateurs) or open to different interpretations! Real just means that it really happened: it doesn’t mean it’s true. But things that aren’t real are very rarely true -- and that’s about as far down the philosophical rabbit-hole as we’re going to go here!