Re: [privacy] Digital Camera Fingerprints

["Richard M. Smith" <rms () bsf-llc com>]

My understanding is that most digital cameras include a unique serial number
in the EXIF headers of a JPEG file.  This header will stay around until a
photo file is editted.  EXIF headers also include the make and model number
of a camera.

Richard 

-----Original Message-----
From: Justin Polazzo [mailto:jpolazzo () thesportsauthority com] 
Sent: Monday, April 24, 2006 10:54 AM
To: privacy () whitestar linuxbox org
Subject: [privacy] Digital Camera Fingerprints

 http://www.boingboing.net/2006/04/22/digital_cameras_have.html

Digital cameras have unique "noise" fingerprints?
A researcher at SUNY Binghamton reports that he can tell which camera
took any given photo by matching the photo's unique "weak noise-like
pattern of pixel-to-pixel non-uniformity."

    Like actual fingerprints, the digital "noise" in original images is
stochastic in nature - that is, it contains random variables - which are
inevitably created during the manufacturing process of the camera and
its sensors. This virtually ensures that the noise imposed on the
digital images from any particular camera will be consistent from one
image to the next, even while it is distinctly different.

    In preliminary tests, Fridrich's lab analyzed 2,700 pictures taken
by nine digital cameras and with 100 percent accuracy linked individual
images with the camera that took them. 


--------------------------------

I can think of good and bad uses for this technology (as with all), but
the idea of being able to tell who is _taking_ the child pr0n pictures
is pretty enticing.

-JP
_______________________________________________
privacy mailing list
privacy () whitestar linuxbox org
http://www.whitestar.linuxbox.org/mailman/listinfo/privacy

_______________________________________________
privacy mailing list
privacy () whitestar linuxbox org
http://www.whitestar.linuxbox.org/mailman/listinfo/privacy