Apple could help you prove your iPhone photos aren’t deepfakes

苹果或将推出新功能，助你证明 iPhone 照片并非深度伪造

Apple is seemingly developing an iOS feature that can verify when a photograph was taken using an iPhone camera. 9to5Mac reports that the iOS 27 beta 5 includes code references for an “Apple Reference Image” system that can embed provenance metadata into iPhone photographs at the point of capture — enabling users to prove where the photo originated, and that it isn’t AI fakery.

苹果似乎正在开发一项 iOS 功能，用于验证照片是否由 iPhone 相机拍摄。据 9to5Mac 报道，iOS 27 beta 5 版本中包含了名为“Apple Reference Image”（苹果参考图像）系统的代码引用。该系统能在拍摄瞬间将来源元数据嵌入到 iPhone 照片中，从而让用户能够证明照片的原始出处，并确认其并非 AI 伪造。

Apple Reference Image isn’t currently live, but a privacy disclosure in the iOS beta notes that the feature will be off by default. When (or if) it does roll out, 9to5Mac says it can be enabled via Settings > Camera > Reference Image > Reference Mode, and that only photographs taken using a new “Reference” option in the iPhone Camera app will include the provenance information required for authentication.

“Apple Reference Image”目前尚未上线，但 iOS 测试版中的隐私披露信息显示，该功能默认处于关闭状态。据 9to5Mac 称，如果该功能正式推出，用户可通过“设置 > 相机 > 参考图像 > 参考模式”进行开启。只有使用 iPhone 相机应用中新增的“参考”选项拍摄的照片，才会包含用于验证所需的来源信息。

MacRumors has more details about the actual authentication process, which doesn’t occur automatically and instead requires users to tap a Reference badge on the photograph. This reportedly sends the raw image and its embedded provenance data — including sensor signatures, capture time frame, and unique hardware identifiers — to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers for verification, and then returns the authenticated version with a uniquely assigned ID.

MacRumors 提供了关于实际验证过程的更多细节：该过程并非自动完成，而是需要用户点击照片上的“参考”徽章。据报道，此操作会将原始图像及其嵌入的来源数据（包括传感器签名、拍摄时间范围和唯一硬件标识符）发送至苹果的“私有云计算”（Private Cloud Compute）服务器进行验证，随后返回带有唯一分配 ID 的已验证版本。

Apple doesn’t access the raw photo itself during this process, but it may receive sensor data that allows it to prevent images connected to compromised sensors from being authenticated, or retroactively revoke prior authentication on images associated with the sensor. Authenticated photos can be viewed on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, according to MacRumors.

在此过程中，苹果不会访问原始照片本身，但可能会接收传感器数据。这使得苹果能够阻止与受损传感器相关的图像通过验证，或追溯撤销与该传感器相关图像的既往验证。据 MacRumors 称，已验证的照片可以在 iPhone、iPad 或 Mac 上查看。

By this description, Apple Reference Image works similarly to the C2PA Content Credentials provenance standard, which can be used to trace how and where an image was made, and if generative AI tools were used to make or manipulate it. Camera companies including Canon, Nikon, Sony, FujiFilm, and Leica have been gradually introducing it into their hardware, and Google’s Pixel 10 phone cameras also support the standard, but Apple has notably avoided adopting it.

从描述来看，“Apple Reference Image”的工作原理与 C2PA 内容凭证（Content Credentials）来源标准类似，该标准可用于追踪图像的制作方式和地点，以及是否使用了生成式 AI 工具进行制作或篡改。包括佳能、尼康、索尼、富士和徕卡在内的相机厂商已逐渐将其引入硬件，谷歌的 Pixel 10 手机摄像头也支持该标准，但苹果此前一直未采用该标准。

C2PA isn’t known for its reliability, however, so perhaps Apple believes its own system will be a better, more robust solution. Introducing a provenance system for iPhone photography also suggests Apple is throwing support behind labeling human-made works across online platforms — something Instagram head Adam Mosseri believes may be easier to achieve compared to identifying and labeling AI-generated content.

然而，C2PA 的可靠性尚存争议，因此苹果可能认为自家的系统会是一个更好、更稳健的解决方案。为 iPhone 摄影引入来源系统也表明，苹果正支持在各大在线平台上标记人类创作的作品——Instagram 负责人 Adam Mosseri 认为，相比于识别和标记 AI 生成的内容，这一目标或许更容易实现。