PrOtocols for WatERmarking (POWER)

In this project we investigate and develop a theoretical framework for solving the problems of information assurance and information provenance/pedigree with digital watermarking as an alternative to cryptography. The proposed project is oriented towards protocols rather than explicit algorithms; i.e. algorithms should be interchangeable, at least within classes, to allow exchanging them as technology improves or new data types are added to the system

The idea is to consider arbitrary digital objects or data streams as cover medium in a networked environment. For this we investigate 3 basic exemplary scenarios for the desired/intended usage of DWM to develop a generic protocol framework for different digital objects or data stream:

• Hierarchical Access, Authentication & Integrity
• Certificate/Digital signature chain in watermarking domain
• Hierarchical Digital Signatures for Reproduction of Original