Nikon, Sony Group, and Canon have joined forces to develop camera technology that integrates digital signatures directly into photographs. This innovative approach is aimed at enabling easy identification and differentiation between authentic images and sophisticated fakes.
Nikon plans to introduce mirrorless cameras featuring authentication technology specifically designed for photojournalists and professionals. These tamper-resistant digital signatures will include crucial information such as the date, time, location, and the photographer’s details.
The urgency of such developments becomes apparent in the face of ever-more-realistic fakes, which challenge the discernment of content producers and users alike. Notable instances include deepfakes featuring former U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, which went viral this year.
A global alliance comprising news organizations, technology companies, and camera manufacturers has launched “Verify,” a web-based tool that checks images for authenticity at no cost. If an image possesses a digital signature, Verify displays pertinent details like the date, location, and other credentials.
The digital signatures established by Nikon, Sony, and Canon adhere to a global standard. Considering that Japanese companies dominate around 90% of the global camera market.
The Verify tool serves as a powerful filter, flagging images lacking digital signatures or those manipulated by artificial intelligence as having “No Content Credentials.”
Sony, slated to release its technology in the spring of 2024, aims to incorporate digital signatures into three professional-grade mirrorless SLR cameras through a firmware update. The company is also contemplating extending this technology to videos.
When a photographer sends images to a news organization, By leveraging authentication servers, Sony’s system detects digital signatures, enabling the identification of AI-generated content. A successful field test was conducted in October in partnership with The Associated Press, affirming the tool’s effectiveness.
Sony plans to expand its lineup of compatible camera models and encourage wider adoption of this technology across media outlets.
Canon, not to be outdone, plans to launch a camera with similar features as early as 2024. The company is actively developing technology to include digital signatures in videos.
Canon’s commitment is evident in the formation of a project team in 2019 and a development partnership with Thomson Reuters and the Starling Lab for Data Integrity, a collaborative institute involving Stanford University and the University of Southern California.
Canon is also introducing an image management app designed to discern whether images were captured by humans.
The urgency for such advancements is underscored by the escalating capability to produce fake images. In October, researchers from China’s Tsinghua University proposed a latent consistency model, a generative AI technology capable of producing approximately 700,000 images daily.
Tech giants are stepping up their efforts to counteract the spread of fake content.
Google, in August, released a tool embedding invisible digital watermarks into AI-generated pictures. In 2022, Intel developed technology analyzing skin color changes to determine image authenticity, based on blood flow under subjects’ skin. Hitachi is also contributing to this collective effort by developing fake-proofing technology for online identity authentication.
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