A snapWONDERS report answers two different questions about a file, and gives each its own grade. Keeping them apart matters: a photo can be completely genuine and still give away a lot about you, or give away nothing and still have been edited.
The two grades
Authenticity: has this photo been edited or AI-generated? It looks at where the file came from (camera or editing software), signs it was changed, and signs it was generated by AI.
Exposure: what does this file give away? It looks at what the file reveals about you, such as location, time, device and names, and at anything hidden or unexpected inside it.
Each runs from A (nothing found) to F (serious findings).
Here are both grades for one of our own photos, a pier we photographed straight off an Android phone, with "What does this mean?" opened on each:
Authenticity A: nothing suggests editing or AI. Exposure B: the photo gives away everyday details, such as the phone model.
Why one bad area decides the grade
Each headline grade is set by the weakest area underneath it, never an average. Think of a car check: good lights and a good accelerator don't make up for failed brakes. If a photo's location data is a serious concern, its Exposure grade says so, however clean everything else is.
What "confidence" changes
Each area of the report comes with a confidence: how sure the checks behind it are.
- High confidence counts in full.
- Medium confidence is softened by one grade.
- Low confidence is softened by two grades. If that area's own grade was D or F, the report also shows a warning so you don't miss it.
- Couldn't tell: some checks can't reach an answer for some files. That's shown, but it doesn't count against the photo.
So a "B with a warning" means: probably fine, but there's a possible serious issue the checks couldn't confirm. Read the warning.
The detail underneath
Below the headline grades, the report breaks the findings into areas: Origin, Manipulation and AI generation (which make up Authenticity), and Privacy and Security (which make up Exposure). Each finding says what was checked, what was found, and why it matters.
The originality score (0 to 100)
Inside the report you'll also see an originality score out of 100. It works differently from the grade. It starts in the middle and moves as each check reports: a check that finds nothing wrong can add points, and a check that finds signs of editing, AI or re-saving takes points away. The Authenticity grade, by contrast, goes by your weakest area.
So the two can disagree. If most checks look clean but one area shows clear signs of editing, the score can still be high while the grade is lower. It can go the other way too: a photo sent through a messaging app can lose points for several small reasons while its grade stays good. When they disagree, go by the Authenticity grade. The score is extra detail.
Here's that same pier photo's originality score:
The same untouched photo that earned Authenticity A scores 34.9 out of 100 here. That's the two measures disagreeing, as described above: go by the grade.
Reading a result sensibly
- A good grade isn't proof. It means the checks found nothing. A screenshot or heavily re-shared copy may simply have nothing left to find.
- A poor grade isn't a verdict. It's a reason to look closer and ask questions.
- Genuine photos often have a poor Exposure grade. That's normal: phones record a lot. It tells you what to remove before sharing, not that anything is wrong with the photo.
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