Systems and methods for the virtualization, aggregation, enhancement, and distributed processing of facsimile communications. The Remote FAX Interconnect known as etherFAX® is a system and method that allows for the reception and delivery of information to or from one or more facsimile systems using Internet/web based communication protocols such as HTTP(S) as the transport between a cooperating facsimile capable application or hardware and the remotely accessible etherFAX® services.

A print management service facilitates the secure exchange of print job information between a client who requests a print job and multiple candidates who may wish to bid on the job. The service generates a smart contract that includes some information about the print job but that omits other information, such as the content to be printed. When a print service provider submits a qualifying bid to a processor that executes the smart contract, the smart contract will award the job to that provider, and the print service provider will then receive access to the full content of the print job. The smart contract may require proof of work to trigger payment from the client to the service provider upon completion of the print job.

An encoding apparatus is provided. The apparatus comprises an input unit operable to obtain a plurality of training images, said training images being for use in training a machine learning model. The apparatus also comprises a label unit operable to obtain a class label associated with the training images; and a key unit operable to obtain a secret key for use in encoding the training images. The apparatus further comprises an image noise generator operable to generate, based on the obtained secret key, noise for introducing into the training images. The image noise generator is configured to generate noise that correlates with the class label associated with the training images such that a machine learning model subsequently trained with the modified training images learns to associate the introduced noise with the class label for those images. A corresponding decoding apparatus is also provided.

Provided are a privacy protection method for a transmitting end and a receiving end, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium. The method includes acquiring an initial image, acquiring an area to be scrambled in the initial image, performing backup and scrambling for the initial image based on the area to be scrambled to obtain a scrambled image and backup information, encrypting the backup information to obtain an encrypted result, and transmitting the scrambled image and the encrypted result.

An electronic device according to an embodiment includes: a camera including an image sensor; a communication module; a memory; and a processor operationally connected to the camera, the communication module, and the memory. The memory may store instructions that, when executed, instruct the processor to: acquire a first image including an external object by using the camera; acquire a second image including less information than the first image by using at least a part of the first image; transmit the second image to an external electronic device by using the communication module; receive security information corresponding to the second image from the external electronic device by using the communication module; and secure the first image, at least partially based on the security information. In addition, various other embodiments are possible.

An information processing apparatus is provided. The apparatus performs operations comprising searching for devices connected to a network; displaying a screen for selecting a device to be used from among devices discovered through the search; when the device selected through the screen is a device which can perform encrypted communication and for which a result of processing for verifying a certificate received from the device is a failure, inquiring with a user as to whether to allow or reject communication with that device; and obtaining information of the selected device by communicating with the device when a user operation for allowing the communication has been made in response to the inquiring, and performing control for not establishing encrypted communication with the selected device when a user operation for rejecting the communication has been made.

A system may comprise one or more processors, a memory in communication with the one or more processors, and storing instructions, that when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the system to perform a method for decrypting an encrypted message. The method may include providing an encrypted code to a first user, receiving one or more first images comprising the encrypted code from a first user device associated with the first user. The method may include determining whether the first user device is a trusted device for the encrypted code. The method may include mapping the encrypted code to a first sequence of alphanumeric characters associated with the encrypted code. The method may include providing the first decrypted code comprising the first sequence of alphanumeric characters to the first user device for display in augmented reality proximate the encrypted code.

A communication system including a first communication apparatus having an image forming unit for forming an image on a sheet and a first wireless communication unit for performing wireless communication, and a second communication apparatus having a second wireless communication unit for performing wireless communication and a reading unit for reading an image. The first communication apparatus registers first network information and prints a QR code based on second network information. The second communication apparatus reads the QR code-printed sheet to acquire the second network information, requests the first communication apparatus to establish direct wireless communication based on the second network information, acquires the first network information from the first communication apparatus using the direct wireless communication, and connects to a router based on the first network information to start wireless LAN communication.

The present disclosure provides a fluid-optical encryption system and a method thereof. The fluid-optical encryption system uses a fluid surface that changes topology over time to modulate the wave front of an electromagnetic signal in an encryption, decryption, authentication or other communication system. The electromagnetic signal can be pulsed or continuous, coherent or non-coherent, and can be optical or in another wavelength range such as micrometer or infrared. The information carrying signal is either transmitted through the fluid system or reflected off the surface of the fluid system. The fluid system time dependent change can be induced by mechanical vibration in the fluid container, distorting the fluid container, acoustic waves through the fluid, or by surface tension changes at the boundary of the fluid cause by electrowetting or electrostatic effects. The fluid surface can exhibit patterns that oscillate or change periodically, or change in a chaotic manner.

A disclosed communication system designed for implementing remote access from an information terminal connected to a first network to an electronic device connected to a second network differing from the first network. The communication system includes a computer having a processor and a memory storing programmed instructions that, when executed by the processor, are operable for performing a process. The process includes relaying, by a relaying device, communication between the information terminal and the second network, in a state of being connectable from the first network and the second network; and converting, by a converter, a first protocol used by the information terminal for the remote access into a second protocol corresponding to the electronic device.