S-2222 : Still Just a Bill

The Digital Defense Content Provenance Act of 2023, also known as S.2222, aims to ensure the authenticity of digital content released by the Department of Defense (DoD).

Key provisions include:

• Education: Requires the Director of the Defense Media Activity (DMA) to establish a course at the Defense Information School (DINFOS) to educate personnel on digital content provenance. This course will cover:
  • Understanding digital content provenance.
  • Challenges posed by digital content forgery.
  • Using industry open technical standards to authenticate content.
• Pilot Program: Mandates the Director to start a pilot program to assess the feasibility of implementing industry open technical standards for digital content provenance for official DoD visual documentation released publicly. This includes:
  • Establishing a process for verifying content provenance.
  • Applying technology solutions to new photos and videos.
  • Assessing the feasibility of applying standards to historical records.
• Reporting: Requires reports to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees on the course of education's development and implementation, and on the findings and recommendations from the pilot program.

In essence, the bill seeks to combat disinformation by verifying the origin and history of digital content produced and disseminated by the Department of Defense.