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Digital Photos Give Away a Camera's Make and Model

Posted by kdawson on from the nobody-saw-me-you-can't-prove-anything dept.

holy_calamity writes "Engineers at Polytechnic University Brooklyn have discovered that digital snaps shorn of any metadata still reveal the make and model of camera used to take them. It is possible to work backwards from the relationships of neighboring pixel values in a shot to identify the model-specific demosaicing algorithm that combines red, green, and blue pixels on the sensor into color image pixels. Forensics teams are already licking their chops."

4 of 260 comments (clear)

  1. stretch? by Speare · · Score: 5, Interesting

    As even the cellphones are producing 3 megapixel images now, very few people need to be passing full-resolution originals around. If you scale the image down to a screen-usable 1 megapixel image, there's not going to be a lot of bayer mosaicking information still available.

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  2. Re:What about multiple cameras using the same sens by fugu · · Score: 5, Interesting

    After the sensor takes the RAW data, the camera processes the image (some noise reduction, curves, and compression) to get a jpg. Since this conversion would vary between manufacturers (or even RAW software) I'd imagine that the process would leave behind similar "fingerprints."

  3. Re:So What? by xIcemanx · · Score: 5, Interesting

    So what if they can identify the make and model of camera. I own a D70. There are 300 billion d70 out there. Good luck on tracking a picture to my camera.

    RTFA:

    While many people own the same camera models, Pollitt believes that this technique can still be used forensically. He says that because digital cameras have a shelf life of only 18 months, this can help to narrow down when and where it was sold. Just because it won't immediately narrow it down to a single suspect with perfect accuracy doesn't mean it won't be helpful in investigations.

  4. Re:So What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The bad guys on CSI, and their smug, latte drinking lawyers. Always demanding warrants and to be released if they aren't being charged with anything! EVIL

    The only EVIL on CSI shows is the way the motherfucking cops use extortion.

    "You don't want to give up privileged information on this guy? Fine, we'll be back with a warrant. Of course, we may have to dismantle your office for a couple of weeks to do a thorough search. What does a couple of weeks mean to your business? You do understand, don't you, that when we seize (God, how those bastards love the word "seize") your computer, our clumsy techs might return it with some important files no longer readable? So sorry. ... Oh, yes, ma'am, that's the perp we were inquiring about. Thank you for your cooperation."