Truth is becoming increasingly scarce as convincing deepfakes are easily produced with the click of a button. Misinformation poses a significant threat to trust in journalism, particularly during pivotal moments in democracy. For 78 days, from November 3, 2020, to January 20, 2021, the Starling Lab and
joined forces to combat this issue, documenting the U.S. presidential transition with cutting-edge image authentication technologies. This groundbreaking collaboration leveraged decentralized web protocols like
to create a tamper-evident archive of a pivotal moment in American history. The project utilized three key components: Secure image capture Decentralized storage Transparent verification Reuters photojournalists used prototype cameras that cryptographically signed each image at the moment of capture, establishing an immutable record of origin. This approach ensures: Tamper-resistance Long-term preservation Public accessibility By embedding cryptographic proofs and edit histories directly into the images and storing them on decentralized networks, '78 Days' allows viewers to independently verify the authenticity and provenance of each photograph. This innovative project demonstrates how decentralized technologies like Filecoin can bolster trust in journalism, preserve historical records, and combat the spread of misinformation in our digital age.