Adobe CAI: First Nikon and Leica cameras with tamper-proof metadata

In 2019, Adobe launched the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), which adds tamper-proof information to metadata from photos. This is intended to combat fake news, as changes will be immediately apparent. The Nikon Z9 and Leica M11 mirrorless system cameras (DSLMs) are two notable additions to the Adobe CAI initiative.

Adobe CAI: Nikon and Leica join

During the Adobe MAX conference, the manufacturer presented two notable additions to the Content Authenticity Initiative, which was launched in 2019. Leading camera manufacturers Nikon and Leica are joining the initiative, which aims to combat fake news with tamper-proof metadata, with their first DSLM models.

The first models to support CAI are the Leica M11 and the Nikon top model Z9.The idea: Details can be stored in the metadata of photos in a forgery-proof manner. These include, for example, the location where the photo was taken, the time at which it was taken, and additional details about how the photos were taken.

If, for example, the photos are downloaded from the web by third parties and edited, for example to be used for fake news, changes and edits to the metadata are immediately displayed in a recognizable way. The matching of the metadata tracks via a server, while the signatures in the source code cannot be removed or overwritten.

This means that the original metadata can still be traced even if the corresponding images are shared on the network and distributed in other file formats. However, concrete details on the contents of the Adobe certificate of authenticity for photos are not yet available.

The technical implementation of the CAI is currently still under construction. Although the initiative was launched in 2019, the C2PA, which is responsible for the technical implementation, did not reveal relevant specifications until early 2022.

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Famous partners for CAI

The Leica M11 is to be equipped with the tamper-proof metadata against fake news from 2023, Nikon currently does not give a date for the Z9. Whether the models will have to be relaunched for this or an implementation can be carried out with the help of a firmware update is currently still unclear.

At least for Leica, the announcement from Adobe points to new hardware, though. It says, “The first available Leica cameras with the C2PA standard are expected to ship in 2023.” Whether and when other models from the manufacturers will follow is also still open.

While Nikon and Leica are the first camera manufacturers to join Adobe’s CAI, the initiative enjoys many other household names. Among them are Nvidia, Microsoft, Qualcomm or the stock photo website Getty Images.

Whether the manufacturers Sony and Canon will follow their competitors also remains to be seen. After all, it is precisely the cameras from these two providers that enjoy the greatest popularity among journalists due to their innovative and industry-leading autofocus or video technologies.