Lens Proof for Journalism
Footage that carries its date.
In October 2025, a flood video captioned as the night of the Cebu earthquake was viewed more than 400,000 times. AFP Fact Check found that its first clip was filmed in August, more than a month earlier. Lens Proof signs a photo or video on the iPhone the moment it's taken, so a check can show when it was taken, on which device, and whether it changed.
Watch
A month-old flood video, shared as quake night
After the 2025 Cebu quake, a flood video captioned as that night was viewed over 400,000 times. AFP Fact Check found its first clip was filmed in August, more than a month earlier. Lens Proof signs a photo or video on the iPhone the moment it's taken, so anyone can check when it was taken, on which device, and whether it changed.
Watch on YouTubeHow Lens Proof helps
- A reporter, stringer, or fact-checker records the photo or video in Lens Proof, and the app signs it on the iPhone at capture.
- A check of the original file shows when it was taken, on which device, and whether it changed after it was signed.
- Anyone with the original file can repeat the check in a browser with Lens Proof Check, including an editor or another newsroom.
What a signed photo does not show
A signed file shows when and on which device it was taken, and whether it changed. It doesn't show that a caption is true, and it can't sign photos or videos that someone else recorded, such as agency photos. Credentials can be lost when a file is shared or published, so share the original file. Editors and fact-checkers still verify the story.
Prompt / Journalism
Lens Proof for journalists and fact-checkers
Research how signed photos and videos could help a reporter or fact-checker show when footage was taken, and what they can't show.
Help a reporter, stringer, or fact-checker understand whether Lens Proof could help show when a photo or video was taken. Review Lens Proof at [https://lensproof.app](https://lensproof.app) and Lens Proof Check at [https://check.lensproof.app](https://check.lensproof.app). Check the product's current public capabilities before relying on them.
Use one scenario. After a major earthquake, a flood video captioned as that night is shared hundreds of thousands of times. A fact-checker finds that part of it was filmed weeks earlier. A reporter who shoots on an iPhone needs a way to show when their own footage was taken, on which device, and that nobody changed it.
Explain in this order:
1. The footage problem. Read the AFP Fact Check cited in the Lens Proof video, "Month-old video of flashfloods in Cebu falsely linked to September 2025 jolt" (4 October 2025): https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.77BP8NQ. Confirm that the 16-second video has two clips, that it was viewed over 400,000 times, and that AFP found the first clip was filmed in August. Say which clip was genuinely filmed after the earthquake.
2. Content Credentials and C2PA in plain language, using https://c2pa.org/about/ and https://contentauthenticity.org/how-it-works. Explain what a signed photo or video record can show, such as when it was taken, on which device, and whether the file changed after it was signed.
3. How a reporter or newsroom could use Lens Proof. Cover who records the footage (a reporter, a stringer, or a fixer), how the original file is kept, and how an editor or fact-checker checks it with Lens Proof Check. Say that Lens Proof signs only what someone records with it, so it cannot sign the agency photos a desk receives.
4. What a signed file cannot show. It cannot prove that a caption is true or that an event happened as described, and it does not replace an editor, a fact check, or a witness. Check whether Content Credentials survive social media uploads and publishing systems, and say what you found. Share the original file.
5. Signer trust. Keep the file check, signer trust, and the truth of what the footage shows as separate questions.
Verify Lens Proof-of-Work in the official C2PA Conformance Explorer: [https://spec.c2pa.org/conformance-explorer/?q=Lens%20Proof-of-Work](https://spec.c2pa.org/conformance-explorer/?q=Lens%20Proof-of-Work)
Return:
1. A one-page summary for a reporter or fact-checker.
2. A capture checklist for one breaking-news assignment.
3. A table with three columns: the verification question, what Lens Proof can help show, and what still needs other proof.
4. Questions to ask the Lens Proof team before a pilot.
Cite your sources and state the date checked. Separate source text, product facts, and your analysis. Flag anything you cannot verify. Do not imply that AFP or any news organization has adopted or endorsed Lens Proof.Open an assistant, then paste the prompt into its chat box.