In an example, a method includes, at least one processor, in response to each of a plurality of requests, determining a halftone screen. Determining the halftone screen comprises encoding a signature pattern in the halftone screen, and halftone screens for different requests may be encoded with a different signature pattern. The halftone screen may be arranged such that, when applied to image data to provide a printed output, the pattern is discernible therein to provide a signature for the printed output.

Disclosed are a picture encryption method and apparatus, a computer device, a storage medium and a program product. The method includes: acquiring N pictures having a time sequence, N being an integer equal to or greater than 2; performing feature extraction on the N pictures to acquire a picture feature of each of the N pictures; successively performing target prediction on the N pictures according to the time sequence to obtain prediction information of the each of the N pictures, the target prediction referring to a prediction on the each of the N pictures based on status information, and the status information being information which is updated based on picture features of pictures that have been predicted; and encrypting the N pictures based on the prediction information of the each of the N pictures.

Systems and methods electronically uniquely imprint a digital watermark on produced resources, such as on data or electronic documents produced by an online software platform (OSP), in nearly invisible ways that are likely to survive subsequent processing. In one embodiment the OSP stores a plurality of resource digital rules used for producing resources for respective relationship instances of primary entities with other entities; receives a dataset on behalf of a primary entity, in which the dataset includes data representing a relationship instance between the primary entity and a secondary entity; in response to the received dataset, produces a resource based on applying one or more of the plurality of resource digital rules to the dataset; and digitally watermarks the produced resource with a digital watermark such that the produced resource is identifiable via the digital watermark as having been produced by the OSP.

A system and method are disclosed for rendering printed documents tamper evident. Examples render classes of documents tamper evident with cryptographic level security or detect tampering events, where such security was previously unavailable, for example, in documents printed using common printers without special paper or ink. Examples enable proving the date of document content without the need for expensive third party archival, including documents held, since their creation, entirely in secrecy or in untrustworthy environments, such as on easily-altered, publicly-accessible internet sites. Examples can use a document's prior registration date in a blockchain to establish a no-later than date-of-existence for that document. Examples can extend the useful life of integrity verification algorithms, such as hash functions, even when applied to binary executable files. Examples can efficiently identify whether multiple document versions are substantially similar, even if they are not identical, thus potentially reducing storage space requirements.

A method and system for hiding reversible data based on prediction errors are provided, where the method includes: partitioning an image, to obtain a shadow part and a blank part; performing a first-layer embedding process on the shadow part; performing a multi-layer embedding process on the blank part; extracting outermost layer information of the blank part after the multilayer embedding process; and extracting information of the shadow part after the first-layer embedding process. According to the method in the present disclosure, a problem of image distortion during high-capacity data embedding can be effectively solved.

A method for checking the authenticity of products, by checking an image (A) of a product. The proof of authenticity is not visible to the human eye and cannot be copied. This is characterized in that a code stored in a halftone image by manipulation of dots and/or a manipulated field bounded in the halftone image can be read by means of an optical device and compared with a retrievable value in at least one database. In at least one field (F1 to F5) a part of a serial number is determined which describes the structure of the serial number and a hash function used for transmitting the serial number to the database, and this is also characterized in that the serial number is subsequently assembled and encrypted with the corresponding hash function.

Auditing shelf space of an outlet of a retailer using a device comprising: a computer, a camera, a global positioning system receiver and a repository. The device is authenticated using the time and date of the audit, and a location of the audit at the outlet of the retailer. Once the device is authenticated, images of displays within the outlet and audit information relating to the display and the outlet of the retailer are captured and audit information is embedded into the captured image. The captured image is encrypted and sent to a remote computer of a checker company for a compliance check.

A cell phone is disclosed for acquiring information to be transmitted to a receiving facility and for transmitting such thereto. A capture device captures information from an external source. A processor is provided for associating with the captured information a representation of the date and time of the capture of the information, such that the representation of the date and time information in association with the captured information forms augmented captured information. The processor also places the augmented captured information in association with subscriber information in a transmission of the augmented captured information to a receiving facility requiring such subscriber information. A transmitter transmits the transmission including the augmented captured information and the subscriber information to the receiving facility. An encryptor encrypts the augmented captured information with a symmetrical encryption algorithm to provide encrypted augmented captured information in the transmission with the subscriber information.

A communication apparatus capable of communicating with an information processing apparatus includes a reception unit that receives a predetermined instruction, an output unit that outputs a predetermined two-dimensional code based on the received predetermined instruction, a control unit that, based on the received predetermined instruction, causes the communication apparatus to start an operation in a predetermined mode for receiving predetermined information for connecting to an external access point that is external to the information processing apparatus and the communication apparatus from the information processing apparatus having read the predetermined two-dimensional code, and a connection unit that, in a case that the predetermined information is received from the information processing apparatus having read the predetermined two-dimensional code, connects the external access point and the communication apparatus to each other based on the predetermined information.

An encryption circuit includes a fundamental vector generation circuit configured to generate a random number sequence for serving as a fundamental vector based on an initial vector, an image mask generation circuit configured to generate an image mask with a mask value set for each pixel in a region to be encrypted smaller than a frame size of the image, based on the fundamental vector and coordinate information for specifying the region to be encrypted, and an XOR operation circuit configured to compute an exclusive OR between each mask value of the image mask and each pixel value of the image data to generate encrypted image data.