What Is Digital Watermarking?

Definition

Digital watermarking is the process of hiding digital information in a carrier signal.

The hidden information should be imperceptible to the human eye or ear but can be detected by a computer program.

Digital watermarking is used to protect intellectual property, track usage, and provide authentication.

Digital watermarking involves embedding a digital code or image, which might be visible or covert, inside multimedia content.

This code or image is typically imperceptible to the human eye or ear and does not interfere with the quality of the content.

When the watermarked content is accessed, the code or image can be extracted and used to identify the owner, track usage, or provide authentication.

Digital watermarking has a wide range of applications, including:

Copyright protection: Watermarks can be used to identify the owner of copyrighted material and deter unauthorized use.
Tracking usage: Watermarks can be used to track how often and where copyrighted material is used.
Authentication: Watermarks can be used to verify the authenticity of digital content.
Quality control: Watermarks can be used to ensure that digital content has not been tampered with.

Digital watermarking offers a number of benefits, including:

Protects intellectual property: Watermarks can help to protect copyrighted material from unauthorized use.
Tracks usage: Watermarks can provide valuable information about how copyrighted material is being used.
Provides authentication: Watermarks can help to verify the authenticity of digital content.
Ensures quality control: Watermarks can help to ensure that digital content has not been tampered with.