Renowned photographer David Yarrow tests out an enhanced end-to-end image-protection technology resulting from a new partnership between SmartFrame Technologies and the Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI)
Fake news. It’s a term we’ve been hearing more and more in recent years. Whatever the motive – be it politics, terror, or something else – there’s little doubt that misinformation presents a very real threat to our society.
With trillions of digital photographs readily available online and the proliferation of easy-to-use editing software, a large part of this threat comes in the form of image theft, manipulation, and misuse. That’s why SmartFrame has been working with the Adobe-led CAI to create a solution that combines robust image protection with provenance authentication, fit for a digital world where it’s hard to know who to trust.
The CAI was formed by Adobe, Twitter and the New York Times, and allows photographers to embed tamper-evident provenance data to a photograph at point of capture, before recording all edits that are made throughout its lifetime. Since its formation, the CAI has welcomed a long list of additional members, including Microsoft, Qualcomm, Truepic, the BBC, and Getty Images.
Such a valuable and timely provenance authentication method is perfectly complemented by SmartFrame’s innovative image-streaming technology, which offers photographers image protection, visibility, and control over their content, along with enhanced presentation and monetization through in-image advertising.
Stronger together
By combining their efforts, the CAI and SmartFrame are forming an even more powerful force against misinformation and disinformation online.
The CAI’s tamper-evident attribution data is currently being integrated with SmartFrame’s image-streaming technology to create a truly holistic image-security solution, one that provides greater transparency while helping to prevent image theft.
It will mean users can easily view details on an image’s provenance to make a better-informed decision about whether what they’re viewing is authentic; publishers can enjoy the peace of mind that their images come from a reputable source; and creators can ensure their work is always displayed legally, in its intended context.
This combination of technologies will form the foundation for a safer, more reliable, and more trustworthy online image ecosystem.
Combined technology in practice
The CAI is showcasing what the eventual future of trusted image capture for consumers will look like through use of a prototype device. This device uses Truepic’s groundbreaking native integration of hardware-secured photo capture, powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865 5G Mobile Platform.
We gave this prototype mobile device — the first and only hardware-secure capture phone in the world, developed by Truepic, powered by Qualcomm, with CAI integrated — to the team at David Yarrow Photography, who tested the technology in highly challenging conditions: photographing a lion on location in South Africa.
“The shoot was in Dinokeng Game Reserve with Kevin Richardson, who’s known as the lion whisperer,” says Cameron Yarrow, who was part of the production team on the shoot. The aim was to create a powerful portrait of a lion’s face, however, wild animals don’t always pose for photographs, so having Kevin on hand was key.
“The lions are very used to being in Kevin’s presence,” Cameron continues. “He’s spent years building relationships with these animals and it’s fascinating to see how he talks to them and gets them to come towards you.”
David Yarrow shot to fame with his iconic image of soccer player Diego Maradona holding aloft the World Cup in 1986, and since then has produced countless remarkable images that span decades, continents, and genres.
But while the subject matter may be diverse, one thing they all have in common is their immersive nature – so immersive, in fact, that it is sometimes hard to believe.
This compelling style has formed the foundations for the David Yarrow Photography brand, so protecting the images and proving their authenticity is important.
“Authenticity is the bedrock of the creative arts. Without it, artists have very little chance of leaving a legacy,” explains David.
“The fact that we often have a level of access that most people don’t have leads to questions as to whether we actually were there and that it did happen,” adds Cameron. “This means that people question the authenticity of many of our photographs that are, in fact, completely real.”
By selecting ‘Secure Mode’ on their CAI-enabled device, the team could easily attach essential data to the image at the point of capture, proving the image’s origin. It’s also possible to add to this by using the CAI function found within image-editing software to record all the edits made in post-production (read more about the first live version of this, Content Credentials in Photoshop).
Such seamless integration meant the process of creating the image was exactly the same as what the team was already used to. The difference became apparent when viewing the images as SmartFrames, as demonstrated below.
With a simple tap of the info icon in the top-left-hand corner, it’s possible to view the image’s attribution and history data, with the option of viewing even more detail on a dedicated verification page.
The CAI data function combines seamlessly with SmartFrame’s interactive image-streaming technology. This new way to display images online supports high-quality images up to 100MP in resolution, and uses a wide range of immersive functions to present them in all their glory. These include full-screen viewing and the ability to zoom in to explore the finest details, all without affecting page-loading times.
More importantly, however, SmartFrames provide advanced security against image theft. Dragging and dropping is made impossible, while right-clicks and screenshots are met with image-obscuring copyright warnings. Furthermore, built-in captions ensure permanent attribution.
This not only helps to prevent image piracy, but also raises awareness of copyright. Through the use of deterrent messages, users are reminded that the image they are viewing is subject to copyright and are instead encouraged to share it legally using the Embed and Share functions.
By sharing in this way, the image will carry with it all the enhanced viewing features, permanent attribution, and CAI provenance data outlined above, wherever it is embedded. This means publishers can benefit from increased engagement and dwell times, image owners can monitor the use of their assets by gathering valuable image analytics, and users can enjoy an extra level of protection against disinformation, leading to a higher level of trust.
Bringing positive change
Many great examples of SmartFrame’s technology in action can be found on the David Yarrow Photography website, and as an experienced SmartFrame user, this new collaboration with the CAI has come as welcome news to the team.
“We have wrestled with the security of our content for many years,” says David. “SmartFrame offered as comprehensive a solution as we have found, and the art experience is not compromised. This collaboration between SmartFrame and the CAI can help ease the transition towards an increasingly digitalized world.”
Both SmartFrame and the CAI are continuing to develop this early prototype into a fully functioning solution. When fully productized, SmartFrame will recognize images with CAI credentials upon upload to its platform, and will automatically display this information, as demonstrated above, when the images are published online.
Additionally, SmartFrame is working to include all CAI validation data securely within the SmartFrame interface. This will eliminate any need to visit the Verify website and expose the high-resolution JPEG, further protecting the image from theft and misuse, while providing a more streamlined user experience.
In doing so, the pioneering partnership is taking steps towards a safer online environment. It marks the beginning of a new era in image-making where users have greater transparency, publishers have more security, and photographers can once again ensure their art is being used in the way it was intended.
By working together, we can create a digital world where it’s OK to believe what you see.
Learn more about SmartFrame and the CAI to discover how these technologies are revolutionizing the way we view images online.