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takyon writes:

Google trained a watermark-removal algorithm and then came up with a countermeasure:

Google's research division today detailed just how easy it is for computer algorithms to bypass standard photo watermarking practices, stripping those images of copyright protection and making them vulnerable to reposting across the internet without credit. The research, presented at a leading computer vision conference in Hawaii back in July, is described in detail in a paper titled, "On the Effectiveness of Visible Watermarks."

"As often done with vulnerabilities discovered in operating systems, applications or protocols, we want to disclose this vulnerability and propose solutions in order to help the photography and stock image communities adapt and better protect its copyrighted content and creations," Tali Dekel and Michael Rubinstein, Google research scientists, explain in a post published on Google's research blog earlier today.

[...] To fix this, and create stronger copyright protections for images on the web, the team suggests adding elements of specific randomness to the watermark. However, you can't simply change the location, or make changes to the opacity of the watermark, Dekel and Rubinstein explain. Instead, you need to make changes that will leave visible artifacts after the removal process. This includes adding "random geometric perturbations to the watermark" — effectively warping the text and logos being used. That way, when algorithms like the one Google uses try to scrub the watermark out, they'll leave outlines of the image because these systems are trained to look for consistency and work by targeting the vulnerabilities inherent in that consistency.

Original Submission