Authentication and validation of smartphone imagery

A method of processing images or video captured by a digital image capture device for subsequent validation and authentication, comprising the steps carried out by the digital image capture device of:

• capturing a still or video image and metadata associated with the still or video image, wherein the metadata is in addition to the still or video image and includes at least one of the following:
• a time of capture of the image;
• a date of capture of the image;
• camera settings at the time of image capture;
• an orientation of the image capture device at the time of image capture;
• data concerning movement of the image capture device at the time of image capture;
• context information including sounds or words captured contemporaneously with the image;
• a direction in which the image is captured;
• and
• information concerning signals from nearby cell towers or WiFi hotspots;
• digitally signing the captured image and the metadata;
• and
• transmitting the digitally signed image and metadata to an authentication centric entity for authentication and validation,
• wherein the digitally signed and transmitted metadata is in addition to the digitally signed and transmitted image, said digital signing enabling authentication of the image and metadata, and the authenticated metadata enabling analysis of the authenticated image.

Processor-executed software including instructions for executing a method of processing images or video captured by a digital image capture device for subsequent validation and authentication, the method executed by the software including the steps of:

• the digital still or video image capture device capturing a still or video image and metadata associated with the still or video image, wherein the metadata is in addition to the watermarked still or video image, and is information associated with the image capture, said information including at least one of the following:
• a time of capture of the image;
• a date of capture of the image;
• camera settings at the time of image capture;
• an orientation of the image capture device at the time of image capture;
• data concerning movement of the image capture device at the time of image capture;
• context information including sounds or words captured contemporaneously with the image;
• a direction in which the image is captured;
• and
• information concerning signals from nearby cell towers or WiFi hotspots;
• the digital image capture device generating a symmetric key;
• the digital image capture device generating a unique identifier and embedding the unique identifier in the captured image using the symmetric key to form a watermarked image;
• the digital image capture device digitally signing the watermarked image, the symmetric key, and the metadata;
• and
• the digital image capture device transmitting the digitally signed watermarked image, symmetric key, and metadata to an authentication centric entity for authentication and validation,
• wherein the digitally signed and transmitted metadata is in addition to the digitally signed and transmitted image, said digital signing enabling authentication of the image and metadata, and the authenticated metadata enabling analysis of the authenticated image based on said information associated with image capture.