Fox Collaborates with Polygon Labs to Combat Distrust in Deepfake Technology

As deepfakes continue to rise, their potential to mislead and erode trust is increasingly alarming security experts and the general public alike. A recent McAfee survey revealed that a significant 84% of Americans are concerned about the implications of deepfakes in 2024, particularly regarding elections and speeches by public figures.

To combat the deepfake dilemma, various solutions have emerged, including crypto watermarks and metadata, though none are flawless. However, many news organizations are uniting around blockchain technology as a reliable means to authenticate content.

Fox has stepped into this arena, recently announcing a partnership with Polygon Labs, a layer-2 blockchain designed to enhance Ethereum's scalability. Together, they are launching an open-source protocol intended for media companies to register their articles, images, and more. Dubbed Verify, this protocol is pitched as a tool for outlets to safeguard their intellectual property while enabling consumers to validate the authenticity of content.

"The Verify protocol establishes the origin and history of original journalism by cryptographically signing individual pieces of content on the blockchain," explained Melody Hildebrandt, Fox’s CTO, in an email interview. "It operates through a content graph that links content to its verified publisher."

Similarly, The New York Times has explored news verification through its News Provenance Project, which leverages blockchain to track metadata such as sources and revisions associated with news images. Additionally, Truepic, a photo and video authentication startup, notarizes content on the Bitcoin and Ethereum blockchains to maintain a clear chain of custody.

Unlike previous initiatives, Fox aims to implement its technology on a more expansive scale. In August, Fox launched a beta version of Verify, co-developed with Polygon, timed with the GOP primary debate on Fox News. The company claims that Verify is now used to register content from various Fox-owned entities, including Fox News, Fox Business, Fox Sports, and affiliated TV stations.

So far, according to Hildebrandt, Verify has authenticated around 80,000 pieces of news content. "The protocol is completely open source and free for publishers and developers to use," she stated. "We anticipate and welcome other media companies and content publishers to adopt the Verify protocol and integrate it into their publishing platforms."

Third-party applications can also be built on the Verify framework, which supports all media content types. Additionally, Fox has introduced its own tool that allows users to verify uploaded images or articles by entering a URL to match against assets registered with the Verify system.

If a match is found, Fox’s Verify tool displays the associated publisher information, along with the original headline and URL. Conversely, if no match occurs, it's reasonable to conclude that the content may be fabricated or manipulated.

In addition to authentication, Verify can be leveraged to license content for vendors needing material for training or deploying generative AI models. This presents a compelling use case, particularly as the tension between vendors and news publishers intensifies. Through Verify, publishers can exert control to ensure fair compensation for how their content is utilized.

"Verify also serves as a technical gateway for AI platforms to license publisher content with embedded controls via smart contracts for LLM training or real-time applications," Hildebrandt noted. "We are currently in discussions with several media partners and anticipate sharing more updates soon."

Ultimately, the adoption of Verify is voluntary—it will rely on publishers, news consumers, and generative AI vendors choosing to engage with the platform. Various factors, such as competing verification solutions, may influence their decision to participate. Only time will reveal the outcome.