Digital File Notarization via Blockchain Hashing and Metadata
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for notarizing digital files, such as photographs or videos, fail to establish the origin of the file objectively, raising concerns about whether the file accurately represents the situation or event it is intended to prove.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a software application on mobile devices to generate a digital fingerprint of multimedia files and store it on a public blockchain in real-time, incorporating geolocation data and device identification, ensuring the file's authenticity and allowing for secure, cloud-based storage and verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a digital file is notarized by generating its unique fingerprint and writing it on the blockchain, then the file's integrity is preserved, but the origin of the file cannot be established
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by capturing metadata (geolocation, device information, timestamp) at the moment of file creation, before the file is processed or potentially modified. This ensures that origin information is recorded in advance, allowing later verification of both the file's integrity through blockchain hashing and its authentic origin through the captured metadata.
2Reliability
If geolocation and device data are collected during file creation, then the file's origin can be verified, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes multi-functionality by leveraging existing mobile device capabilities (camera, GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, microphone) that are already present for normal operation. These existing sensors and systems are repurposed to capture authentication metadata, eliminating the need for separate dedicated hardware and reducing overall system complexity while still achieving reliable origin verification.
3Reliability
If the digital fingerprint is created in real-time at file generation, then the file cannot be altered without detection, but the user cannot modify the file after creation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by separating the file into two independent components: the original multimedia content and the blockchain-stored hash. This allows the user to freely edit the original file while the blockchain hash remains unchanged and immutable. When verification is needed, the system hashes the edited file and compares it with the stored hash, providing a clear indication of whether the file has been altered without restricting the user's ability to make edits.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A method for notarizing a digital file, for example a photograph, a video file, or an audio file is implemented by a notarization software application installed on a digital device. The method involves generating the digital file using a digital device, such as a smartphone or tablet, and, at the end of the creation of the digital file, automatically and in real time, applying a hash function to the generated digital file so as to obtain a digital fingerprint of the digital file, storing said digital fingerprint on the blockchain.