Scammers use AI-generated photos for fake IDs, catfish profiles, and impersonation. Here's how to check an image for AI provenance and hidden metadata.
AI image generators leave fingerprints. Many embed provenance metadata — C2PA 'Content Credentials', Google's SynthID, or IPTC 'trainedAlgorithmicMedia' tags — that positively identify an image as AI-generated. Real camera photos instead carry EXIF data (camera make/model, exposure, sometimes GPS). Checking these is how you catch a fake ID or a deepfake profile picture.
—What to check
- AI-provenance markers (C2PA / SynthID) — strong evidence the image was AI-generated.
- Camera EXIF — its presence is consistent with a real photo; its absence is common on both AI images and social-media downloads.
- GPS coordinates — where a real photo was taken.
- Reverse-image search — where else the image appears online (stolen photos, stock, catfish profiles).
—Analyze the image
Paste an image URL or upload a file (uploads are analyzed in your browser and never leave your device) to extract metadata and flag AI provenance.
Use the toolAnalyze an imageAI Image / Deepfake Forensics→Metadata can be stripped
The absence of AI markers isn't proof an image is real — metadata is often removed. But embedded C2PA/SynthID provenance IS strong evidence it was AI-generated. Combine it with reverse-image search for the full picture.
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