Encypher vs SynthID
SynthID and Encypher answer different questions. SynthIDSynthID: Google DeepMind's statistical watermark, added while a model generates content and read by Google's detector. adds a pattern while a model generates, to flag its output. Encypher signs the final output, to show who issued it and whether it changed. Strong provenance can use both.
Side by side
| SynthID | Encypher | |
|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | Did a compatible model make this? | Who issued this, and did it change? |
| Added | While the model generates | After generation, before delivery |
| What it adds | A statistical watermarkStatistical watermarking: A hidden pattern a model adds while generating content, found later by a detector that returns a likelihood. | A signed C2PAC2PA: The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity: the group that publishes the open standard for content labels. label and a hidden text mark |
| What a check returns | A detection result or score | Valid, changed or no label |
| Human-written work | Not covered | Can be signed |
| Paraphrase or translation | Weakens and can be lost | Lost for the rewritten text |
When to use each
- SynthID
- You run a compatible model with SynthID Text integrated, and want a mark added as it generates.
- Encypher
- You need signed provenanceContent provenance: The record of where a piece of content came from and how it changed, carried with the content itself.: identity, a timestamp and integrity across many models and file types, with a free public check.
- Both
- The EU Code of PracticeCode of Practice on AI-generated content: The EU's voluntary rulebook on marking and labeling AI content, published in final form on June 10, 2026. asks for layers. SynthID supplies the watermarkWatermark: A mark placed in the content itself, visible or hidden, so it can be found again after the file is copied.. Encypher adds the signed label and the evidence around it.
One API, separate evidence
- Signed label
- Reports who signed, when, what they declared, and whether the content changed.
- Watermark
- Supported marks are reported with their provider and limits, never as proof of who signed. For SynthID, Encypher checks only marks it applied itself. It cannot read SynthID marks applied by Google or anyone else.
- Missing label
- Reported as missing. It does not mean the content is fake.
For engineers
Show the technical detail
SynthID Text biases token sampling with a keyed function during generation, and its detector scores text against the same keys. Encypher signs a C2PA manifest with organization identity, timestamp, content binding and declared source type. Verification reports credential, watermark, recovery and policy results as separate fields. A score is never merged into a signature result.
Create. Mark. Endure.
Integrate verification once. Every signal is reported on its own.