On 12 Sep 95 at 11:27, Andrew Loewenstern wrote:

Such technology would be very useful in business, especially the high-tech industry. Think of how many non-disclosure agreements are signed every day relating to new products developed for the software industry alone. Many companies are very paranoid and already 'fingerprint' information by using unique code-names for projects, for instance. i.e. the spec sheet on their new GAK crypto product they give to Alice may be code-named 'project foobar' but the one they give to Bob may be code-named 'project burris'... Then, when the information leaks out they check which person they gave the document with that code-name and they know who to sue (or at least not give any more trade-secrets to). It's very simplistic but it has been know to work in the past.

Most of the real technology for doing this is much better, of course... However, what stops you from printing out a fingerprinted document and scanning it back in, for instance?

Well, there is selective wording, mispellings, punctuation and formatting. These can be corrected easily if allowed to be transported as a text or common file type. Another way is to place the document in a PItA proprietary graphical format for transport and viewing only, stego identifier imbedded if you chose * , so that every portion of the document has some indentifier imbedded in it. Many obvious and many devious. Electronic drawings with a harmless and useless circuit(s) added on , software with do nothing code (by design!:) ). Difficult and time consuming to do, but for megabuck items, no prob. Automated for an additional fee of course. Start a service industry for such, make money, pay me back by running a fast, reliable remailer. Idea is to make the thief go to some major effort and if the scanning option is used to make the deletions as obvious and telling as the former identifier.

andrew

note* Makes a neat way of putting copyright & source information in picture and sound files, somewhat useless but every trip up helps.