FUTURE OF JPEG XT: PRIVACY AND SECURITY

Abstract

JPEG is de facto the most important and popular image format since 1992 which provides compressed images to a great extent. JPEG XT, the latest standardization of the JPEG committee, provides some amazing features like: backwards compatibility, support for High Dynamic Range (HDR), lossless and near-lossless coding, and alpha channel coding, which were not provided by the previous JPEG standards. With the increase in the demand for photos- capturing, sharing, editing- privacy concerns have become the primary issue. Leakage of private photos to unauthorized users is unacceptable and hence the need for protecting and developing an algorithm to maintain the privacy and security is a must. An algorithm is developed to help embed privacy in the JPEG XT software. The algorithm is developed in Microsoft Visual Studio by using OpenCV libraries and C++. It provides a method for face detection along with blurring the region of interest. The algorithm is tested for five different test sequences while detecting a maximum of 13 faces until now. It enhances the security of images which can be extended to social media image sharing. This algorithm brings us one step closer to protecting an individual’s life.