Seriously though, you see something unbelievable. Grab your phone and record it. Post it online and immediately people start asking "is that real?" And can you blame them? How can anyone prove what they post is real.

I’ve been working on a tool to address one of the biggest problems I see with digital content: the inability to prove that it was captured by a real human, on a real device, at a specific time — without manipulation or AI involvement.

Witness by Reel Human is a privacy-first camera app that generates cryptographically signed photos and videos. Each file includes an embedded JSON manifest with: - The exact capture time - Device info (not user identity) - The app version and signature metadata

The manifest is stored inside the media file (MP4/JPEG) and travels with it, even if shared. The result is a verifiable, human-authored piece of content.

What’s working now (POC): - Android and iOS apps (available for testing) - Signed JSON manifests inside every photo/video - No accounts, no tracking, no upload

What’s coming: - Public verification portal (in progress) - Registry backend with optional verification logging - Open API for platforms to verify content at scale

I’d love your feedback on: - The idea and approach - Security model (crypto choices, manifest design, etc.) - Use cases beyond journalism (legal, education, social media)

Site: https://reel-human.com POC App: - Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.reelhuman.... - iOS: https://testflight.apple.com/join/GzfTsCNF

Ask me anything — I’m solo-building this because I think trusted content should be a human right.