Engineering & Enacting a Solution
The road to a complete solution is long, and DTOM is the first major step. (yes this section sucks right now, yes we wanted a timeline of sorts)
Milestone 1: 1K petitioners, 10K DTOM Declarations.
Goals: press coverage, community forum, ambassador program,
Milestone 2: 10K petitioners, 100K DTOM Declarations.
Goals: lobbying effort, first corporate commitment.
Milestone 3: 100K petitioners, 1M DTOM Declarations.
Goals: standardization effort, multimedia support.
Legislation: The Legal Landscape
(robots.txt)
This approach draws on existing legislative frameworks, such as California’s AB3286, which compels businesses to respect opt-out signals regarding data usage, and the DMCA section 1202(b), which prohibits the intentional removal of copyright information from digital content.
Lately, many AI bills have been introduced, but few have passed. Some examples include HR7913, which requires copyright disclosures from generative AI models, and California’s AB3211, which mandates provenance labeling of synthetic content. However, in order to sign these ideas into law, a convincing solution is needed.
Outside of Congress, there are a number of new public-private working groups that concern the DTOM issue. The more prominent ones include: the AI Safety Institute (AISIC) under NIST, the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), and the Partnership on AI (PAI). DTOM has representation in all three.
Technology: The DTOM Declaration
The DTOM declaration is free and open to the public. Currently, you can apply it through our web portal, but more tooling is coming soon. There are two components: the secure metadata and the durable watermark.
The secure metadata follows C2PA standards, and consists of a XML tag appended to the file. Many of the big tech platforms, including Meta, Google, and TikTok, have pledged to consume the new metadata, meaning that they will see your DTOM declaration.
Unfortunately, metadata is easily lost—for example, when exporting files or compressing data—so DMCA 1202(b) is avoided. A declaration that is only lost upon significant alteration or deliberate removal is needed.
The durable watermark is embedded directly into the content in a way that is invisible to people but easily detected by computers. Because it is invisible, the quality of your content will not be compromised. Because it is detectable, companies will be able to see your DTOM declaration. Because it is durable, the watermark will survive most post-production edits.
Awareness: Community Engagement
(TBD)
Recommended Tools for Extra Protection
Glaze / Nightshade
Make it difficult for AI models to train on your content.
Trufo
Add a declaration that proves ownership & authenticity.
Helpful Resources for Further Research
(copy over FAQ section, TBD)