HIPPie Whitepaper

1. What HIPPie does

HIPPie proves that a photo or video is the original.

The proof is created the moment the shutter is pressed — the fact that this is the original, captured on that camera at that time, is fixed on the spot. It cannot be created later, and if the file changes even slightly, it no longer matches the proof. When someone asks "is this real?", the answer is not an argument but a proof.

2. Why proof — because detection is still not good enough

Technology that tries to detect AI-generated images and videos after the fact is still not good enough. Detection is probabilistic guessing, and as generation improves, the guesses fail more often. Today, nowhere in the industry is there a way to answer "was this file made by AI?" with certainty.

HIPPie changes the question: "does this file have a proof of originality?"

A proof created at the moment of capture is not something to guess about — it is something to check against. No matter how far generation technology advances, it cannot create a proof that was never there.

3. Strengths

• A proof of originality is created only at the moment of capture. A file you already have cannot be given a proof of originality after the fact. You can still upload a file from your gallery, but that only speaks to when it was uploaded — it is not a proof of originality and receives no badge. This is where the value of the proof comes from.
• Any change shows. If the file is modified even slightly, it no longer matches the proof — and that fact is shown as is.
• Re-shooting earns no proof. Photographing the original off a screen, or a print of it, is just a separate new capture — the original's proof is never copied or transferred. Passing a copy off as the original does not work.
• Photos and videos never stay on the server. Once the proof is created, the file is deleted. What remains is a proof about the capture, not the capture itself.
• Only a real person can make a HIPPie camera capture. Capture happens together with the device's biometric authentication — an authentication that photos or screens cannot pass. Without it the capture's proof is never completed, so behind every proof made with the HIPPie camera there is a real person. For a selfie, that authentication becomes, as it stands, a proof that a real person took this selfie themselves. Facial data never leaves the device — the server keeps only the authenticated proof; it neither receives nor stores biometric data.
• Private by default. Nothing is visible anywhere until you choose to share it. Each proof has its own visibility, so you can present just the one you need.
• What could not be checked is never called "absent". If the comparison itself could not run — a network problem, for example — the result says exactly that: "could not check". Honest results are the premise of trust.

4. Where it is used

• Condition before a sale Photograph an item on the day you ship it for a second-hand sale. Its condition at shipping time is preserved as proof, not memory.
• Move-in and handover Photograph each room on moving day. If a dispute arises, the original condition has a proof created before the complaint existed.
• Damage at discovery A scratch on a car, a damaged wall, a crushed delivery box. Capturing at the moment of discovery turns a claim into a proof.
• Unboxing videos Prove the entire unboxing as one piece. Video, audio and order are bound together, so an edited cut no longer matches the proof.
• Before and after work Fix the starting and finished state of a repair, construction or inspection, each as its own proof.
• Provenance of creative work Present a proof instead of arguing about pixels.

5. What a check result tells you

Checking a file gives one of five answers. Each is a different statement.

• Original confirmed A proof of originality exists for this file, the file matches it, and every badge condition passed.
• Proof found · no badge A proof linked to this file exists, but the badge conditions were not met — it was not captured with the HIPPie camera, or one of the checks did not pass.
• No proof There is no proof to check against. This does not mean forgery — most files in the world have no HIPPie proof.
• Differs from the original The file is linked to a proof, but its content has diverged from the original.
• Could not check The comparison itself could not be performed. In that case it is never reported as "no proof".

6. The HIPPie-Verified badge

The badge is granted to proofs captured with the HIPPie camera that pass every check.

The badge belongs to the individual proof, not the account. Follower counts, popularity and votes play no part — the only thing the badge says is: "this is an original made by a real capture".

7. What a link carries

Opening a HIPPie link shows the existence of the proof, when it was created, and a reference number. The photo or video itself is never displayed, and the link does not compare the other person's file either. Comparing a file against its proof is done in the HIPPie app.

8. Keeping a copy of your proofs

You can download a copy of your proofs from the app and keep it separately. It contains what was proven and when — photos and videos are not included. Reading this copy currently requires the HIPPie app.

9. Working with HIPPie

HIPPie's check works without exchanging the file itself. It adds no media-storage burden on the adopting side, which makes it easy to plug into existing services.

Where it applies

• E-commerce and second-hand markets Show a check badge on product pages for photos the seller has proven. On returns and disputes, compare against the state at shipping time.
• Insurance and claims Check when accident and damage photos and videos were captured, right at intake. Filter out re-shoots and reused imagery.
• Logistics and inspection Fix the condition at every handover point and narrow down where damage occurred.
• Content platforms and newsrooms Check when submitted images and videos were captured.

How it is offered

• Check API Confirm whether a proof of originality exists, and when, without sending the file. The endpoint is live; partner keys and pricing are in preparation.
• Capture integration Run HIPPie capture and proof inside a partner app. In preparation.

For adoption inquiries, use the contact below.

10. Said honestly

• HIPPie does not determine whether the subject of a photo or video was made by generative AI. That determination is technology the whole industry still lacks. The question HIPPie answers with certainty today is "does this file have a proof of originality?" — subject-level determination is pursued as a research goal (roadmap).
• The absence of a proof is not evidence of forgery. Most photos and videos have no HIPPie proof.
• HIPPie does not judge meaning, responsibility or ownership. What HIPPie proves is which capture happened and when.
• HIPPie results are reference information and do not replace legal judgment or expert review.

11. Privacy

• Every capture starts private. A private proof does not even reveal its existence.
• Making a proof public does not make the capture public. What becomes public is the existence and time of the proof. The photo or video itself was never on the server, so no visibility setting can expose it — publishing the proof while protecting the capture is the default structure.
• What stays on the server is a proof about the capture, not the capture itself. What you post to the social feed is stored like on any other service.
• Public pages carry no name and no location. The photographer appears under an alias, and time is shown to the day only.
• You can delete an individual proof, or your entire account, at any time.

12. Roadmap

Contact

Inquiries: admin@hippie.land

Check originals: hippie.land