https://door.donau-uni.ac.at/o:5615 Restoring Trust in the Age of Deepfakes: A Blockchain-Based Proposal : The Global Challenge of AI-Manipulated Media Pfeiffer, Alexander Alexander Pfeiffer 0000-0002-8689-3318 Universität für Weiterbildung Krems Krishna, Nanditha Nanditha Krishna 0000-0001-5536-4993 Independent Researcher Zentrum für Angewandte Spieleforschung, Universität für Weiterbildung Krems journal article eng The proliferation of AI-generated deepfake media represents a critical global challenge, undermining public trust across political, financial, and social domains. Recent advances in generative AI, particularly Google’s VEO3 model, have dramatically escalated the sophistication and accessibility of synthetic media creation, enabling the generation of photorealistic videos with synchronised audio that are nearly indistinguishable from authentic content. Existing approaches, primarily focused on deepfake detection, fall short due to the evolving sophistication of artificial intelligence methods and the emergence of what researchers term the “liar’s dividend”—the ability for bad actors to dismiss authentic content as potentially fake. This opinion paper introduces a technically feasible solution: the optional integration of cryptographic hashing, secure metadata anchoring (including GPS coordinates and device specifications), and optional digital identity signatures (eIDAS, EUDIS, or decentralised Self-Sovereign Identity frameworks) directly into media-capturing devices such as smartphones and cameras. These authenticity markers would be immutably anchored to public blockchain infrastructures—examples include Ethereum Layer 2 solutions, Solana, and Ardor—creating an incorruptible provenance ledger. The article examines the multiple advantages of such blockchain-based media authentication, including strengthened content integrity, clear provenance, rapid verification capabilities, deterrence of misinformation, protection of intellectual property, and resilience across decentralised platforms. Despite its promise, the implementation faces challenges related to privacy and anonymity concerns, device integration complexities, scalability, verification infrastructure, and evolving legal and regulatory landscapes. To overcome these barriers, parallel initiatives in user and stakeholder education are crucial, emphasising media literacy, transparency, and global inclusivity. By collaboratively addressing these issues, blockchain-based media authentication has the potential to significantly mitigate the impact of deepfakes and rebuild digital trust in society. Blockchain Media Authentication Deepfake Detection Digital Provenance Synthetic Media Content Integrity Verification Cryptographic Timestamping Media Forensics Information Authenticity http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ https://door.donau-uni.ac.at/api/object/o:5615/download 10.48341/dx7k-e072 https://door.donau-uni.ac.at/o:5616 application/pdf MAD Opinions MAD Opinions 538.48 kB 2025-07-30