Sony will automatically provide photos from its cameras with a digital certificate

Sony is working on ‘authenticity technology’ for its cameras to automatically give photos a digital certificate. This should make it possible to verify the authenticity of photos.

Sony states that photos taken with one of its cameras are immediately provided with a ‘birth certificate’ through this technology. Once the photo is taken, the digital certificate is generated using the camera’s processor. This prevents users from manipulating an image unnoticed, the company said.

According to Sony, this is intended for ‘professionals who want to ensure the authenticity of their content’, and should ‘provide an additional layer of security for news agencies in their fight against counterfeit images’. This is necessary, the Japanese tech company says, because the development of generative AI is progressing rapidly and the spread of fake photos is ‘harmful to society as a whole’. Sony claims that the digital certificate is retained even after editing the metadata.

According to Sony, the technology has been tested by the American news agency Associated Press. Camera Bits, the developer of the photo management application Photo Mechanic, is also contributing to the technology. The first cameras to gain access to this technology are the Alpha 9 III, Alpha 1 and Alpha 7S III. The update for the digital certificate should be released in the spring of 2024.