Methods Utilizing Steganography

• US 20070180251A1
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Davis, Bruce, Rhoads, Geoffrey, Carr, J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,290,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32203 Spatial or amplitude domain methods H04N1/32309 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/327 which are undetectable to the naked eye, e.g. embedded codes

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to steganography, digital watermarking and data hiding. In one embodiment a method is provided including: processing data representing content; analyzing the data to determine whether a plural-bit identifier is steganographically encoded therein, the plural-bit identifier encoded in the data through modifications to the data, the modifications steganographically hiding the presence of the plural-bit identifier; and upon detection of the plural-bit identifier, redundantly carrying out an action while attempting to conceal the action from one or more users of the content. Of course, other embodiments are described and claimed as well.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining access to a set of data corresponding to an image or video;

controlling a steganographic encoding detector to examine only a portion of the data, without examining the entire set of data,

detecting plural-bit data from the portion of the data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of data comprises scan-line data and the act of detecting operates on only a portion of the scan-line data, without buffering the entire set of data for analysis.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising carrying out an action based on the detected plural-bit data.

4. A method comprising:

obtaining data representing content;

analyzing the data to determine whether a steganographic signal is encoded therein, the steganographic signal being encoded in the data through modifications to the data, the modifications being made so as to conceal the presence of the steganographic signal to a causal human observer of the content;

upon detection of the steganographic signal, redundantly carrying out an action that is concealed from a user of the content.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the content comprises an image or video.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the steganographic signal comprises an identifier, and the action comprising transmitting at least the identifier.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the identifier is transmitted to a remote device.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the steganographic signal comprises an identifier, and the action comprising generating data.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the steganographic signal comprises an identifier, and said action comprising storing data.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the data is remotely stored.

11. The method of claim 4 wherein the steganographic signal indicates a possible use of a device for an illicit activity.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the action comprises storing or generating forensic data to identify the possible use or the illicit activity.

13. A method comprising:

processing data representing content;

analyzing the data to determine whether a plural-bit identifier is steganographically encoded therein, the plural-bit identifier encoded in the data through modifications to the data, the modifications steganographically hiding the plural-bit identifier;

upon detection of the plural-bit identifier, redundantly carrying out an action while attempting to conceal the action from one or more users of the content.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the action comprising transmitting at least the plural-bit identifier.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the plural-bit identifier is transmitted to a remote device.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the action comprises generating data.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the action comprises storing data.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the plural-bit signal indicates a possible use of a device for an illicit activity.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the action comprises storing or generating forensic data to identify the possible use or the illicit activity.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the content comprises an image or video.