Columbia Technology Ventures

Methods for verifying image authenticity

This technology includes systems, methods, and media designed to confirm the authenticity of image content.

Unmet Need: Robust methods to combat digital misinformation

The spread of misinformation has become increasingly common in the digital era given recent advancements in artificial intelligence. The spread of images portraying fabricated or altered information can be used to sway opinions, manipulate trials or elections, and defame individuals, posing a serious threat to democracy and society. Therefore, there is a need for robust methods to confirm image authenticity for digital media sources.

The Technology: Method to improve digital image authenticity

This technology is a method for verifying the authenticity of digital images. This approach comprises capturing an image with a camera, digitally signing the image with a unique signature, and remotely storing the data. These signatures can be stored securely within the image’s metadata or using a public tamper-proof storage system such as blockchain. This method also implements a dedicated verification service for any user to verify the authenticity of the image, assessing the digital signature and a history of all changes made to the image.

Applications:

  • Security tool to confirm legitimacy of identification documents and other sensitive material
  • System to prevent copyright theft, protect originality, and establish ownership of creative works
  • Content moderation on social media applications to detect and prevent the spread of misinformation
  • Journalism tool to ensure accurate reporting of news stories

Advantages:

  • Improve trust and safety of media sources
  • Reduce the spread of digital misinformation
  • Tamper-proof storage of image content
  • Improves accessibility to verification of media authenticity
  • Protect creative works and allows individuals to claim ownership of personal images
  • Applicable to videos and sequences of images

Lead Inventor:

Vishal Misra, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Pending

Related Publications:

Tech Ventures Reference: