From: "James Caldwell" <jcaldwel@iquest.net>
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 95 22:30:29 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Digital Fingerprinting
Message-ID: <m0stpnG-00066MC@dorite1.iquest.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On 12 Sep 95 at 11:27, Andrew Loewenstern wrote:


> Such technology would be very useful in business, especially the
> high-tech  industry.  Think of how many non-disclosure agreements
> are signed every day  relating to new products developed for the
> software industry alone.  Many  companies are very paranoid and
> already 'fingerprint' information by using  unique code-names for
> projects, for instance.  i.e. the spec sheet on their  new GAK
> crypto product they give to Alice may be code-named 'project foobar'
>  but the one they give to Bob may be code-named 'project burris'... 
> Then,  when the information leaks out they check which person they
> gave the document  with that code-name and they know who to sue (or
> at least not give any more  trade-secrets to).  It's very simplistic
> but it has been know to work in the  past.
> 
> Most of the real technology for doing this is much better, of
> course...   However, what stops you from printing out a
> fingerprinted document and  scanning it back in, for instance?

Well, there is selective wording, mispellings, punctuation and
formatting. These can be corrected easily if allowed to be
transported as a text or common file type.

Another  way is to place the document in a PItA proprietary graphical
format for transport and viewing only, stego identifier imbedded if
you chose * , so that every portion of the document has some
indentifier imbedded in it. Many obvious and many devious. Electronic
drawings with a harmless and useless circuit(s) added on , software
with do nothing code (by design!:) ).  Difficult and time consuming
to do, but for megabuck items, no prob. Automated for an additional
fee of course. Start a service industry for such, make money, pay me
back by running a fast, reliable remailer.

Idea is to make the thief go to some major effort and if the scanning
option is used to make the deletions  as obvious and telling as the
former identifier.

> andrew

note* Makes a neat way of putting copyright & source  information in picture and 
sound files, somewhat useless but every trip up helps.