What a manifest actually contains
A C2PA manifest can record the creating tool, edits and source materials, with a digital signature. It may be embedded in a file or stored externally. Not every file includes the same information.
MetadataRemover.cc removes supported embedded metadata blocks from a copy. It does not rewrite a signed history or delete records held elsewhere. Removing a local manifest is not proof that the file has no other provenance.
Where the manifest lives in each container
The carrier differs by format, and the inspector names the exact one it found.
- JPEG: an APP11 segment holding JUMBF data.
- PNG: a caBX chunk, or a text chunk that carries the markers.
- WebP: a C2PA RIFF chunk.
- AVIF, HEIC, MP4, MOV and M4A: a top-level uuid box with the C2PA content-provenance user type.
- WAV: a C2PA RIFF chunk. FLAC and MP3: an ID3v2 GEOB frame with the application/c2pa MIME type.
What removal does and does not achieve
Removing the manifest removes the file's own claim about its origin. It does not alter the content, and it cannot remove anything that was embedded in the pixels or the audio.
The C2PA specification pairs manifests with optional durable watermarks and fingerprints precisely so provenance can survive metadata loss. If a durable mark is present, it stays after cleaning.
Verifying the result
MetadataRemover.cc inspects the cleaned copy again for the items it supports. A separate Content Credentials verifier may still discover externally stored records through a watermark or fingerprint. Review the remaining findings and keep the original; no findings here is not a guarantee of no provenance anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Is removing Content Credentials legitimate?
It depends entirely on context and on the file being yours. Stripping provenance from your own photo before posting it is a privacy decision. Removing it to misrepresent someone else's work, or to evade a disclosure obligation, is not, and the responsible-use page sets out the boundary.
Why does the report still mention C2PA after cleaning?
A byte-scan finding means the marker text appeared somewhere the container walk could not attribute to a known block, usually in a truncated or unusual file. It is reported rather than silently dropped, because the honest answer is that the parser could not place it.