Backed by Paradigm, startup Succinct Labs has introduced ZCAM — an iPhone app for cryptographic verification of photos and videos.

Today, we're launching ZCAM, an iPhone camera app to Prove What’s Real.

ZCAM cryptographically signs photos and videos at the moment of capture. Anyone can independently verify the content came from a real device and hasn't been altered or AI-generated. pic.twitter.com/nHAYqVK1mW

— Succinct (@SuccinctLabs) April 23, 2026

ZCAM signs media files at the moment of capture, creating a tamper-proof record that links the content to the device it was taken with.

Users can independently verify that an image or video was captured by a real device, rather than being generated or altered by AI tools.

Technology

The app is built on a cryptographic fingerprint. When a user takes a photo or video on their iPhone, ZCAM generates a hash based on the captured pixels. Succinct's developers claim this method is more reliable than commercial detectors, which can fail.

Source: Succinct.

The project conducted research showing that detectors perform well with unmodified images. However, simple edits like blurring and compression reduced their effectiveness by up to 96%.

Source: Succinct.

Context

Succinct launched this tool amid rising risks associated with generative artificial intelligence.

The team cited forecasts from Deloitte, which predict that losses from AI-related fraud in the U.S. could rise from $12.3 billion in 2023 to $40 billion by 2027.

Source: Deloitte.

Succinct Labs is developing infrastructure for zero-knowledge proofs. In 2024, Paradigm led a $55 million funding round for the company, with participation from the founders of Polygon and EigenLayer.

Succinct's SP1 zkVM technology protects over $4 billion in digital assets. In August 2025, the startup launched the mainnet for the Succinct Prover Network and the PROVE token.

The project's blockchain operates as a decentralized marketplace on Ethereum. Applications send requests for zero-knowledge proof generation, while independent participants compete to fulfill them.

Notably, in January, the App Store and Google Play blocked dozens of AI applications for "nudifying" individuals.