How does C2PA establish content provenance, and what are its limits against a determined forger?

C2PA cryptographically signs where media came from, but a signature you can strip is not the same as a watermark you cannot. The signal is knowing what provenance proves, what it does not, and why you pair it with watermarking. Here is the answer.

Updated Aug 2026 · Grounded in real Applied AI Engineer interview loops and written to a senior-engineer editorial bar.