How It Works
Digitally Signed Digital Art
CO2igned copies aren’t “signed” in the traditional sense. CO2ign Art uses digital signing, a technology ubiquitous across the internet.
When you see a lock icon in your web browser, or download software and see a pop-up that tells you what company it came from, those are using digital signatures. A digital signature validates that the data it’s “signing” was created by a particular entity. For example, a signature from Google means Google created the webpage or software and no one else has maliciously altered it.
CO2ign Art works exactly the same way. An image file with a valid signature can only have been created by CO2ign Art.
Signed to the Buyer with Carbon Credits
Using our patent-pending system, CO2ign Art does more than validate that the artwork itself is unaltered. The signature also identifies the artist, the buyer, and the carbon credits funded by the purchase. That means a completely unique signature is created for each buyer, and it serves as a proof of purchase. Even if the image is copied, it still refers to the buyer and the set of credits they funded. While a signature can be removed (it doesn’t serve as copyright protection), it cannot be faked or attached to a different image.
CO2ign Art is committed to transparency, so each buyer can see exactly what carbon-reduction project their purchase went to. Each signature includes a link to see details of the project, as well as the specific credits “retired” in the buyer’s name, in respected global registries such as Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard.
Signature in File Metadata
An image file contains more data than just the image. It can also have “metadata” such as a description of the image or information about how the image was created, like the time or location a photo was taken. CO2ign Art metadata includes information about the artist, buyer, and credits funded with the purchase, as well as the signature itself.
You can verify that a file has a valid CO2ign signature using our validation page, or (soon) open-source validation tools we provide. Since we use standard digital signing technology, anyone can include CO2ign validation on their website and allow people to show off that an image purchase supported artists and the environment.