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Data hiding


Data hiding (i.e. steganography) is the process of embedding data into digital signals. These techniques can be used in copyright protecting and tamper-proofing of data. For example an image could be interwoven with code which continues to protect the data. The file could include code that "sense" the surrounding environment and interact with them. Owner could be contacted whenever the file is being accessed, or files might require periodic "feeding" with digital cash from the user, which they would relay back to their authors [Bar94].

Data hiding is distinct from encryption. The goal of data hiding is not to restrict or regulate access to the host signal, but to ensure that embedded data remains inviolate.

Data hiding can be used to provide solid proof of the copyright and assurance of content integrity. Owner's digital signature is hidden in the copyrighted material. The key to successful data hiding is to find "holes" in the digital signal that are not suitable for exploitation by compression algorithms [Ben95]. Technically data hiding is a very demanding task.


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mtu@cs.hut.fi - 04 DEC 95