SB 942 · Vendors compared
SB 942 watermarking vendors, compared against the statute
Updated 16 October 2026. California SB 942, as amended by AB 853, SB 1000 and AB 2713. Not legal advice.
Vendors compared
Scored against the statute, not a brochure
| Requirement | Verda | SynthID (Google) | Adobe Content Authenticity | Meta AudioSeal / Video Seal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Available to a covered provider that is not the vendor | Yes | Applied inside Google products; not offered as a third-party service per Google's site | Yes; Content Authenticity API for enterprises, via Firefly Services | Yes, self-hosted |
| Latent disclosure in image, audio and video | All three | All three, within Google products | Image; video and audio planned per company | Audio, video, image |
| Five statutory fields resolvable from the mark | Yes, payload plus resolver; created or altered comes from your integration | Not published | Watermark links back to the C2PA manifest; fields are whatever the manifest holds | Payload bits only; you build the resolver |
Five more rows
| Requirement | Verda | SynthID (Google) | Adobe Content Authenticity | Meta AudioSeal / Video Seal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free public disclosure verification tool with upload, URL and API | Yes, hosted or white-label | Portal announced; API per Google | Free inspect tool and Chrome extension; watermark lookup API | You host it |
| Licensee termination support | Per-licensee keys; revoke in the console | n/a | Not stated | Build your own |
| No personal information in tool output | Yes, by design; identity tier never returned publicly | Not published | Not published | n/a |
| Standards-compliant manifest (AB 853 and AB 2713 platforms) | Writes C2PA alongside the mark | Google is a C2PA member; per product | Yes; Adobe co-founded C2PA | No |
| Optional verified identity (AB 853 digital signatures) | Yes, verified identity, optional | No | Yes, LinkedIn verification in the app | No |
Where Verda is weaker: no text modality; no open-source encoder for teams that want to self-host the whole stack; fewer public deployments than Adobe or Google. Where Verda is stronger for a covered provider specifically: one API across the three modalities SB 942 covers, the five fields resolvable from the mark, a disclosure verification tool that meets every line of § 22757.2 out of the box, and per-licensee keys that turn the 72-hour licensee duty into a console action.
Where Verda is stronger
- One API for image, audio and video
- All five fields resolve from the mark
- Per-licensee keys for the 72-hour duty
Where Verda is weaker
- No text modality
- No open-source encoder
- Fewer public deployments than Adobe or Google
Vendor cells cite each company's site as of 17 September 2026 (Adobe: 7 October 2026).
FAQ
Common questions
Which watermarking vendors can a covered provider use for SB 942?
Of the vendors compared, Verda, Adobe Content Authenticity (the Content Authenticity API for enterprises, via Firefly Services) and Meta AudioSeal / Video Seal (self-hosted) are available to a covered provider that is not the vendor. SynthID is applied inside Google products and is not offered as a third-party service, per Google's site.
Which SB 942 vendors cover image, audio and video?
Verda covers all three, and SynthID covers all three within Google products. Meta AudioSeal / Video Seal covers audio, video and image. Adobe Content Authenticity covers image, with video and audio planned per the company.
Where is Verda weaker than other SB 942 vendors?
No text modality, no open-source encoder for teams that want to self-host the whole stack, and fewer public deployments than Adobe or Google.
How current is this SB 942 vendor comparison?
Each row is a requirement taken from the statute. Vendor cells cite each company's site as of 17 September 2026 (Adobe: 7 October 2026).
More of the playbook
Other sections
Seven steps to compliant
Every step from covered-provider status to the tool's retention statement, with the 72-hour licensee clock.
Open the checklist → Latent disclosure, § 22757.3(a)Five facts, hidden in every output
What every image, video and audio output must carry, and where each field lives.
The five fields → Verification tool, § 22757.2A free checker anyone can use
Run your own disclosure verification tool, or link a compliant third-party one.
Tool requirements → AB 853 and AB 2713Who is next, and when
Large online platforms and GenAI hosting platforms from 1 January 2027, capture devices from 1 January 2028.
Dates and roles →