Cornell Researchers Develop Invisible Light-Based Watermark To Detect Deepfakes
Cornell University researchers have developed an "invisible" light-based watermarking system that embeds unique codes into the physical light that illuminates the subject during recording, allowing any camera to capture authentication data without special hardware. By comparing these coded light patterns against recorded footage, analysts can spot deepfake manipulations, offering a more resilient verification method than traditional file-based watermarks. TechSpot reports: Programmable light sources such as computer monitors, studio lighting, or certain LED fixtures can be embedded with coded brightness patterns using software alone. Standard non-programmable lamps can be adapted by fitting them with a compact chip -- roughly the size of a postage stamp -- that subtly fluctuates light intensity according to a secret code. The embedded code consists of tiny variations in lighting frequency and brightness that are imperceptible to the naked eye. Michael explained that these fluctuations are designed based on human visual perception research. Each light's unique code effectively produces a low-resolution, time-stamped record of the scene under slightly different lighting conditions. [Abe Davis, an assistant professor] refers to these as code videos.
"When someone manipulates a video, the manipulated parts start to contradict what we see in these code videos," Davis said. "And if someone tries to generate fake video with AI, the resulting code videos just look like random variations." By comparing the coded patterns against the suspect footage, analysts can detect missing sequences, inserted objects, or altered scenes. For example, content removed from an interview would appear as visual gaps in the recovered code video, while fabricated elements would often show up as solid black areas. The researchers have demonstrated the use of up to three independent lighting codes within the same scene. This layering increases the complexity of the watermark and raises the difficulty for potential forgers, who would have to replicate multiple synchronized code videos that all match the visible footage. The concept is called noise-coded illumination and was presented on August 10 at SIGGRAPH 2025 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
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Moment yacht bursts into flames at sea before sinking
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JD Vance will meet Nigel Farage for breakfast in the Cotswolds - after a 'barbecue and few beers' with Thomas 'Bosh' Skinner
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Smirking refugee groped church volunteer - then asked cop arresting him for a kiss before confronting mum and daughter in street wanting 'hugs'
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Driver faces $110,000 fine for speeding on Swiss street... but he can afford it
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Serial shoplifter spared prison four times because she's a single mum is finally jailed after stealing £3.2k of designer sunglasses
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Do Kwon Pleads Guilty to US Fraud Charges In $40 Billion Crypto Collapse
Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon pleaded guilty in U.S. federal court to conspiracy to defraud and wire fraud over the $40 billion collapse of TerraUSD and Luna in 2022. Reuters reports: Kwon, 33, who co-founded Singapore-based Terraform Labs and developed the TerraUSD and Luna currencies, entered the plea at a court hearing in New York before U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer. He had pleaded not guilty in January to a nine-count indictment charging him with securities fraud, wire fraud, commodities fraud and money laundering conspiracy.
Accused of misleading investors in 2021 about TerraUSD - a so-called stablecoin designed to maintain a value of $1 - Kwon pleaded guilty to the two counts under an agreement with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's office, which brought the charges. He faces up to 25 years in prison when Engelmayer sentences him on December 11, though prosecutor Kimberly Ravener said the government had agreed to advocate for a prison term of no more than 12 years provided he accepts responsibility for his crimes. "I made false and misleading statements about why it regained its peg by failing to disclose a trading firm's role in restoring that peg," Kwon said in court. "What I did was wrong."
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The scoundrel great-grandfather of baby killer Constance Marten: How promiscuous aristocrat left film star lover lamenting his 'flashes of cruelty', writes CHRISTOPHER WILSON
Marten's great-grandfather, the 3rd Lord Alington, was said to be the most dissolute man ever to enter the House of Lords, writes CHRISTOPHER WILSON.
Why Brooklyn Beckham and wife Nicola Peltz didn't invite his brothers Romeo and Cruz to their lavish second wedding amid his family feud
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Pictured: Man, 36, who died in crash with ambulance - as tributes pour in
Alistair Stewart was driving a blue Renault Megane when it collided with an ambulance carrying a patient at around 6.50am on Monday, August 11.
International manhunt launched for paedophile, 23, who fled the UK during his trial
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CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews In Flight on Ch4: Spare a thought for the Bulgarian tourist board after this dark thriller
The opening three minutes of In Flight were crammed with so much backstory, I had to check this rush of events wasn't a recap of an earlier series.
My night of misery in A&E for a broken ankle left me in tears. I was treated with indifference verging on contempt. The NHS is broken: SARAH VINE
There is no question that violence against medical staff is totally unacceptable. Yesterday's report paints a worrying picture of assault in hospitals, with one worker attacked every two hours.
How fraudster on a jet ski runs a network of cold calling sharks who 'groom' victims into taking out fake domestic appliance cover. So are YOU on their 'suckers list'?
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Seven vital tricks to help you get the compensation you deserve if your flight is delayed or cancelled
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More than HALF of women say they do not feel safe in their local area - as Labour minister admits there are not enough police on the streets
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Boy, 15, is charged with rape after 'teenager attacked near tennis courts'
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Glamorous bikini designer's grim cause of death revealed after night with tycoon, 60, on Hamptons yacht: Distraught boyfriend breaks down
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Moment tourist is chased and trampled by charging elephant 'after trying to take a selfie'
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Russia Is Suspected To Be Behind Breach of Federal Court Filing System
ole_timer shares a report from the New York Times: Investigators have uncovered evidence that Russia is at least partly responsible for a recent hack of the computer system that manages federal court documents, including highly sensitive records with information that could reveal sources and people charged with national security crimes, according to several people briefed on the breach. It is not clear what entity is responsible, whether an arm of Russian intelligence might be behind the intrusion or if other countries were also involved, which some of the people familiar with the matter described as a yearslong effort to infiltrate the system. Some of the searches included midlevel criminal cases in the New York City area and several other jurisdictions, with some cases involving people with Russian and Eastern European surnames.
Administrators with the court system recently informed Justice Department officials, clerks and chief judges in federal courts that "persistent and sophisticated cyber threat actors have recently compromised sealed records," according to an internal department memo reviewed by The New York Times. The administrators also advised those officials to quickly remove the most sensitive documents from the system. "This remains an URGENT MATTER that requires immediate action," officials wrote, referring to guidance that the Justice Department had issued in early 2021 after the system was first infiltrated. Documents related to criminal activity with an overseas tie, across at least eight district courts, were initially believed to have been targeted. Last month, the chief judges of district courts across the country were quietly warned to move those kinds of cases off the regular document-management system, according to officials briefed on the request. They were initially told not to discuss the matter with other judges in their districts.
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