Initial commit: Project structure and documentation

- Add professional folder structure (backend, frontend, docs)
- Create README with project overview and roadmap
- Add MIT license for open-source compliance
- Configure .gitignore for Python, env files, and privacy
- Set up placeholder files for modular architecture

.gitignore

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+# Python
+__pycache__/
+*.py[cod]
+*$py.class
+*.so
+.Python
+env/
+venv/
+ENV/
+.venv
+
+# Environment variables (CRITICAL - never commit secrets)
+.env
+.env.local
+.env.*.local
+
+# IDE
+.vscode/
+.idea/
+*.swp
+*.swo
+
+# Testing
+.pytest_cache/
+.coverage
+htmlcov/
+
+# OS
+.DS_Store
+Thumbs.db
+
+# Uploads (privacy-first: never store user files)
+uploads/
+temp/
+*.tmp
+
+# Logs
+*.log
+logs/

LICENSE

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+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) 2025 [Your Name]
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+SOFTWARE.

README.md

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+# VeriFile-X
+
+**Privacy-Preserving AI-Powered Digital Forensics Platform**
+
+![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg)
+![Python](https://img.shields.io/badge/python-3.9+-blue.svg)
+![Status](https://img.shields.io/badge/status-in_development-yellow.svg)
+
+## Overview
+
+VeriFile-X is a digital forensics platform that analyzes images, videos, and documents to detect AI-generated content, tampering, and authenticity issues. Built with privacy-first principles—**no files are stored**, all processing happens in-memory.
+
+## Features (Planned)
+
+- 🔍 AI-generated content detection
+- 🛡️ Digital artifact analysis
+- 📊 Metadata verification
+- 🔐 Hash-based integrity checking
+- 📈 Confidence scoring with detailed reports
+- 🚫 Zero file storage (privacy-first)
+
+## Tech Stack
+
+- **Backend:** Python, FastAPI
+- **AI/ML:** TensorFlow, OpenCV, scikit-learn
+- **Testing:** pytest, pytest-asyncio
+- **Deployment:** TBD (Render/Vercel)
+
+## Project Status
+
+🚧 **Under Active Development** - Currently building core infrastructure.
+
+### Roadmap
+- [ ] Git & GitHub setup
+- [ ] FastAPI backend structure
+- [ ] File upload & validation
+- [ ] AI detection models
+- [ ] Metadata analysis
+- [ ] Testing suite
+- [ ] Frontend UI
+- [ ] Deployment
+
+## Local Development
+```bash
+# Coming soon
+```
+
+## Contributing
+
+See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines.
+
+## License
+
+MIT License - see [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details.
+
+## Security
+
+Report security vulnerabilities to [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md).
+
+---
+
+**Author:** Abinaze Binoy  
+**Contact:** abinazebinoy@example.com