Digital image verification

Via Slashdot, this announcement from Canon on digital image authenticity verification.

Canon today announced the latest version of its Data Verification Kit, the DVK-E2 kit is designed to deliver validation of an unmodified original image from a single camera body. This kit is aimed at law enforcement, insurance, news and other such agencies and can detect single bit discrepancy in modification of an image since it was taken. The new kit is much smaller than the old and uses a unique SM (secure mobile) card which is the same size as a Secure Digital card. The card reader connects to a computer USB port (only Windows 2000/XP compatible at the moment).

Designed to work with the EOS-1Ds and new EOS-1D Mark II D-SLR cameras, the DVK-E2 provides the facility to prove that images taken with the EOS-1D Mark II have not been altered, tampered with or manipulated in any way... Recent well-publicised cases involving image-tampering by news agencies have identified a strong need for a system capable of verifying the originality of digital photographs. Without such a kit it is impossible for an agency to identify whether or not a given image has been enhanced or manipulated.

In a world of digital media that can easily be manipulated and modified, verification of authenticity becomes important , especially in certain niches such as law enforcement. Canon's solution is to embed software into the camera that computes a checksum on the image file and embeds it on the flash card. If the image is subsequently modified, the reader software (on the PC) detects that the checksum does not match.

What I like about this solution:
* It addresses a real need within a target niche
* The technology involved is really simple
* It's low cost to implement - involves only software
* Creates a differentiator in a rapidly-commoditizing space
* Creates lock-in

Obvious extensions of this idea - surveillance video cameras, digital voice recorders, document integrity, etc.