Sony is testing a new in-camera technology to combat manipulation of images

As artificial intelligence enters our everyday lives in more and more ways, there have also been growing concerns over potential identity theft or fraud, using the same. One of these concerns being deepfakes – whether in the form of audio, videos, or photographs.

To tackle that last bit, Sony has just concluded testing a new in-camera technology, which helps verify and preserve the authenticity of images, so as to protect them against manipulation and misuse. Here’s everything you need to know.

Sony’s in-camera authenticity technology: What it is and how it works

Sony has been working on a new in-camera authenticity technology, which provides a machine-based digital signature to images. Think of it as a birth certificate of sorts, which validates its origin. This, in addition to establishing its authenticity, also significantly reduces the chances of the image being manipulated to almost nil. This is done the moment the camera captures an image.

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For this, Sony has partnered with a company called Camera Bits, which has developed a photo tagging and browsing tool called Photo Mechanic. What’s cool is, Photo Mechanic now adds another layer of security to images, via the metadata editing process.

The two technologies combined, Sony says, will help ensure that creators can ensure that their content is safeguarded against misuse or theft, and also ensure news media outlets do not end up spreading falsified images unknowingly.

When will Sony’s new in-camera authenticity technology be rolled out?

The new in-camera authenticity technology features are set to be released as a firmware update and are expected to first come to the Sony Alpha 9 III, Alpha 1, and the Alpha 7S III sometime in early 2024. The technology has just undergone and passed a second round of testing conducted by Sony, in association with the Associated Press (AP) news agency.