Eventually, Mr Sharma expects to see Xerox scanners and copiers with data-hiding functions built into them.

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With reversible data-hiding, however, photographic evidence could be watermarked and secured from tampering the moment the shutter is pressed.

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The data-hiding technique neatly fits within the image, and all the authentication tasks are localised, notes Guarav Sharma of Xerox.

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But as Mr Celik outlines the possible applications for reversible data-hiding, it becomes obvious why preserving image integrity is so critical.

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The United States army has expressed an interest in the data-hiding algorithms for combining extremely high-resolution reconnaissance photographs with authentication security.

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Reversible data-hiding offers a clever solution.

ECONOMIST: MONITOR