- Lightmark attempts to verify the authenticity of any video, from any camera
- Turn your physical filming location into a verifiable digital footprint
- Video piracy and deepfakes could destroy this technology
British startup Lightmark says it has developed a new approach to video authentication, embedding a light fingerprint into the footage when it is recorded, rather than trying to find a way to verify authenticity afterwards.
The system works by adjusting the lighting on the film set in ways so small that the human eye can’t pick them up, but more importantly, the cameras can.
When a video is captured under those modified conditions, it automatically records a hidden signature linked to the physical environment that can be used as a fingerprint to verify authenticity later.
Physical location watermarks
The resilience of this new type of system is important, the startup says, because it cannot be added after recording, survives compression and filtering, requires no specialized tools (and works with smartphone cameras), and is designed to resist AI hacking attempts.
“I am confident that we have a real working solution to one of the biggest problems in the age of digital communication and media,” wrote founder and inventor Daniel Oblitas Garafulic. “Now we can create a space where video images can be trusted without a doubt.”
Lightmark positions the technology in two separate camps: First, it is an answer to the age-old problem of online piracy. The company used the May 2024 fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk as an example, noting that the event lost more than £100 million due to illegal streaming in a single night.
The company says its system could help identify exactly which camera or location source is behind the leak of the hacked footage.
Globally, Kearney says the online video piracy market is estimated to be worth a staggering $75 billion a year in lost revenue, but by 2028 this figure could rise to $125 billion as the trend shows no signs of slowing.
Second, the technology could also be used to screen out AI-generated deepfakes and other video-based disinformation campaigns, with the founders crediting deepfakes with fooling three out of four potential victims.
Lightmark’s work is noteworthy for two distinct reasons: the shift from attempting to determine authenticity after content has circulated to “pre-capture authentication” and the addition of using physical “trusted recording environments” on top of existing software solutions.
“Lightmark turns the lighting in an MoD facility, R&D lab or command center into a tamper-proof signature for every video shot inside,” shared Bifrost Defense CEO Nicholas MacGowan.
In a press release, the startup criticized existing systems for being insufficient, as C2PA metadata standards are not protected from removal and AI-based detectors are more prone to errors.
A UK patent application has already been filed for the technology covering 15 core claims, and the startup is looking to raise £1.5 million to move from prototype to first commercial deployments from 2027.
Lightmark’s technology could be useful in political speeches, interviews, press conferences and other international debates, such as those held by the UN. Its developers also argue that it could have important implications for defense and intelligence, as well as war crimes investigations and frontline reporting amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
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