Question 1

Can Sootru verify any video or photo?

Accepted Answer

No. Sootru can only verify media that was recorded using the Sootru app. The app creates a cryptographic signature at the moment of capture: this can't be added to photos or videos after the fact.

Question 2

How does Sootru know if something has been edited?

Accepted Answer

When you record with Sootru, a cryptographic signature is created and saved. When someone verifies the media later, we check whether that signature still matches. If anything has been changed, even small edits, it won't match and we flag it.

Question 3

How is the proof kept safe forever?

Accepted Answer

The cryptographic signature is anchored on the Bitcoin blockchain. This is a public, decentralised ledger that no single person or company controls. Once anchored, nobody, not even us, can change or delete it. Anyone can independently verify the anchor.

Question 4

Is my data private?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your full-resolution photos and videos are only uploaded if you choose to submit them to an organisation for review. By default we store the cryptographic signature record plus a small preview used to render the verification page, never the full file. You can also choose to turn off location recording in the app.

Question 5

What platforms are supported?

Accepted Answer

You can verify media that has been shared on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter/X, YouTube, or WhatsApp. Even after these apps compress or re-encode the video, Sootru can still tell whether it's the original or has been edited.

Question 6

How accurate is the verification?

Accepted Answer

Sootru is over 99% accurate. It can detect changes even when the media has been compressed or shared across multiple platforms. If something looks slightly different due to normal compression, Sootru accounts for that.

Question 7

Can I prove that I'm the creator of my content?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Turn on Creator Mode in the app to claim a creator identity with a display name. From then on your name is signed into every photo and video you capture, so it appears on the verification page as part of the tamper-proof record: nobody can change it or attach it to media you didn't make. You can link more than one phone to the same creator identity, and recover it on a new device with your recovery PIN.

Question 8

Can I send my media to an organisation?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Newsrooms, insurers, legal teams, and NGOs run a Sootru dashboard where they receive and review verified media. From the app you can submit a photo or video to any organisation you choose, and it lands in their queue already checked for tampering, with a full chain of custody. Some organisations keep intake open to anyone; others accept only from a private list of contributors they've invited.

Question 9

What is live upload?

Accepted Answer

Live upload (Guardian mode) streams your recording to an organisation as it happens, in signed pieces. It's built for the moment things go wrong: if your phone is lost, seized, or destroyed mid-recording, whatever already reached the organisation is preserved and stays verifiable. You choose the destination before you start, and it's shown on screen the whole time.

Frequently Asked Questions