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by rsnor 2365 days ago
I had the thought a day or so ago that a system could be created to tie images to their respective cameras with a private key stored inside of a chip that self-destructs when you attempt to read the key from outside of it, along with a trust hierarchy of certs from various camera manufacturers. A little like hardware auth tokens mixed with PKI.

Does that sound like something that would be feasible to produce/practical in the real world?
2 comments
Kalium 2365 days ago
Feasible? Sure, to the limits of what we can do with secure enclaves today.

Desirable? Well, you've created a system that authenticates a camera as being at a place at a time. It's a good way to authenticate photos, but a bad way to stay anonymous.

How do you feel about photographers and journalists becoming even larger targets for anyone who wants to keep a secret?

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sgt101 2365 days ago
In the past the actual image authenticated that the camera was at a place at a time, and anonymity was preserved.

The issue is : does it authenticate that a particular camera that belongs to a particular person is/was at a place at a time and produced an image - because if so then if the device is found in a search the owner/user/keeper is in hot water.

So the camera must be anonymous - but it must be impossible for a lie about the place and time to be encoded into the image.

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Kalium 2364 days ago
If you assume that "Anyone could have been using that camera!" is a defense, you're absolutely correct.

It's perhaps worth considering that an authoritarian government might not trouble itself with such legal niceties. All they have to do is mandate that journalists with cameras register their keys, make possession of a camera with an unregistered key criminal, and track sales / border entries. China springs to mind as a country that might do such a thing.

Again, you're absolutely correct in asserting that anonymity of camera-user is important! It's just perhaps worth considering how linking hardware to images might undermine that in dangerous ways.

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eitland 2365 days ago
something similar was done a number of years ago but cracked later. I think it was Nikon who had it and the proof of the crack was someone signed the Beatles crossing the road with a Nikon camera key.

Meanwhile secure enclaves are now possibly a lot safer, but as Kalium mentioned it might not be very attractive for everyone.

For forensics experts however it could become very useful I believe.

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