How to make sure that a photo has not been modified, altered, falsified? Sony presents a promising cryptographic certification solution, but which will initially be reserved for professionals and for a single device.
This is a recurring question among photographers: how best to protect their images? Sony seems to have finally found the answer. The manufacturer announces the arrival on its Alpha 7 IV case of a new image certification technology (under license), which should eventually be offered on other devices. The idea is seemingly quite simple. During the triggering, at the very moment of the shot, the processor integrated into the case will generate a digital signature thanks to a cryptographic process, which will make it possible to uniquely identify the image shot, to the nearest pixel.
Thus, by activating this “signature” function, it will be possible to “detect any changes made to an image, thus protecting it from tampering“, explains Sony. The manufacturer recognizes that falsifications are unfortunately commonplace and that this solution is one more weapon to protect itself against the fraudulent use of the shots. The checks can be carried out from a certification server set up place by the customer, who will be able to spot “any manipulation on an image” during its examination, comparing it with the code of the initial photograph.
“This new feature simplifies the entire certification process, from sending an image to verifying it, while providing additional security“, adds Sony. An innovation that should prove useful in a market where the problems related to image rights are more and more numerous. The manufacturer explains that it imagined this functionality while thinking of areas in which falsification is particularly feared: media, justice, insurance, administrative and identity documents, etc. However, it will initially only be open to professionals.