Video Redaction with Encrypted Metadata and Watermarking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing video redaction technologies are manual, time-consuming, and lack effective mechanisms to identify and prevent unauthorized release of unredacted video recordings, making it difficult to determine the source of unauthorized publication.
Innovation Solution
A method that processes video data to redact human features, encrypts metadata about the redacted areas, and allows authorized users to decrypt and reconstitute the original video with a digital watermark identifying the user, thereby restricting unauthorized access and tracing the source of leaks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual redaction is used to protect identity, then identity protection is achieved, but time consumption and labor cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical redaction operations with automated computer vision algorithms and machine learning models that can automatically detect and redact human features in video frames, eliminating the need for manual frame-by-frame analysis while maintaining protection effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service redaction by automatically processing video content without human intervention, where the redaction algorithm independently identifies sensitive regions and applies masking, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring operator input for each video
2Ease of operation
If unredacted video is stored for authorized access, then access utility is improved, but unauthorized release risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by embedding digital watermarks and authentication markers in the video data before storage, creating pre-established protective measures that automatically identify and trace unauthorized releases, thereby counteracting potential harm before it occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms through digital watermarking and access logging that provide continuous monitoring and identification of video usage, allowing the system to detect and respond to unauthorized access attempts by tracing them back to specific users or devices
3Measurement precision
If digital watermarking is applied to identify leak sources, then traceability is improved, but video data complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the identification function from the main video content by separating digital watermark data into distinct metadata fields or embedded layers, allowing the core video data to remain relatively simple while the extracted identification components handle the tracing functionality
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for protecting video and image files processes from original files to detect skin tones of persons appearing in the media. Pixels determined to contain skin tones are blurred or blacked out, and the pixel locations and their original color values are stored in a metadata file. The metadata file is encrypted and stored with the redacted video file. Thereafter, when an authorized person wants to see an unredacted version of the video, the system decrypts the metadata and reconstituted the video, replacing the redacted pixels with their original color values, and inserting a unique watermark into the video that identifies the requesting person. The watermarked video is then provided to the requesting person.