TTG Plus > FAQs > More on FAQ #2519


A. How VUOs and CUOs will help TTG

  • Helping to “prove” the first 6 Trust Test requirements

    The EXIF data of a confirmed unaltered original can help TTG photographers “prove” Trust Test requirements P1 through P6—

    — and could also prove (thanks to lens, focus, and location data) that a TTG-labeled photo is not a rephotograph of a non-TTG-qualified image.


    • B. Things VUOs and CUOs cannot do — but TTG can

  • 1. Applying worldwide standards to authenticated originals

    “What manipulations are acceptable?”

    Having an authenticated original of a highly modified photo is of little use if there is no guide spelling out what modifications can be done to the former without making the latter untrustworthy.

    One of the most important roles of TTG is to help when analyzing the differences between a verifiably unaltered original (the “Before” picture) and the final version that is put before viewers (the “After” picture).

    The greater the number of “authenticated originals” are out there, the more valuable the Trust Test will be as a reference guide for photo manipulation.

  • 2. Supporting claims when there is no VUO or CUO

    It may be years (if ever) before VUO technology becomes widely available on smartphones.

    Even then, the feature is unlikely to be activated or working for 100% of photographers 100% of the time — and yet TTG photographers who can’t supply a VUO/CUO will still want to tell publishers and viewers when an impressive photograph is undoctored.

    TTG will be the most universal standard that can be used as a shared reference point by photographers and publishers when there is no VUO/CUO to refer to.

  • 3. Dealing with photos that are undoctored but deceptive

    Just because a photo is undoctored doesn’t mean it’s trustworthy.

     Unlike VUOs and CUOs, TTG is helpful for keeping viewers from being misled by images that are undoctored but still potentially deceptive, such as an undoctored photo of a zoo animal that looks like it was photographed in the wild, or an undoctored photo of set-up scene that looks spontaneous.

  • 4. Making it clear to viewers exactly who is personally vouching that the photo has all 9 characteristics of trustworthy photos

    VUOs and CUOs are not configured to point to the photographer who is responsible for a set of elaborate claims — or in fact to convey any claim other than “This photo is unaltered.”

    TTG, on the other hand, is actually built on tying photographers’ claims to their reputation — again, something VUOs and CUOs can never do.

  • 5. Providing a simple, universal label that can be used to cover a wide range of content-authentication programs and procedures

    There already are multiple varieties of content-verification programs, with more on the way, and the public cannot be expected to learn the names of them all.

    TTG will be useful for summarizing a variety of different “brands” of proof and verification.