CAWG stands for Creator Assertions Working Group.
In the Content Credentials ecosystem, CAWG focuses on identity assertions: a way for a person, organization or credential holder to prove control over a digital identity and bind that identity to assertions inside a C2PA asset lifecycle.
CAWG is related to C2PA, but it is not the same organization and should not be confused with the core C2PA specification.
Why CAWG matters
The core C2PA specification focuses on provenance and authenticity signals that can be attached to media by software, services or hardware tools.
But many real-world workflows also need human or organizational identity. For example:
- a newsroom may want to assert that a verified publisher created or approved an asset;
- a brand may want to attach organizational identity to campaign media;
- a creator may want to connect a verified identity signal to a published image;
- a platform may want to distinguish tool identity from creator identity.
CAWG helps address these identity-related use cases.
CAWG identity assertions
A CAWG identity assertion can allow a credential holder to prove control over a digital identity and document their role in the lifecycle of a C2PA asset.
Depending on the implementation, this may involve X.509 certificates for organizations or identity claim aggregation for individual creators. See also C2PA Certificate and C2PA Trust List.
CAWG and ProvSeal
ProvSeal focuses on local C2PA verification, report inspection and test-signing workflows. In enterprise or integration contexts, CAWG identity assertions can become relevant when teams need stronger identity attribution alongside C2PA manifest verification.
For example, a future newsroom or brand workflow may need both:
- a C2PA certificate to sign and protect the manifest;
- a CAWG identity assertion to express who is making an identity claim about the content.