The Multimedia Blockchain

The Multimedia Blockchain A Distributed and Tamper-Proof Media Transaction Framework

Historically, media distribution or content delivery relied on legacy devices like DVDs or magnetic tapes. The currently trending medium for media distribution is internet-based cloud services or P2P (peer-to-peer) connections. As an improvement on this, a Content Distribution Network (CDN) is used. CDNs are a collection of specialized servers that deliver high-resolution, rich media to devices over the internet. Cloud-based CDNs are better than internet-based ones as they ensure high performance and availability while keeping maintenance costs low without ownership of the underlying infrastructure.

However, media distribution is prone to tampering and piracy. To overcome this, we implement Blockchains to securely deliver content to users.

Blockchain is like a broadcast channel within a group of defined individuals who regulate every transaction, and each of them is recorded in a master ledger. An authentication request is sent for any transfer which must be authorized by a quota to go through. There is little to no chance of tampering as members within the organization have verified it with an entry for every attempt inside the ledger. It is a rapidly advancing technology which uses the concept of open distributed databases to keep track of all transactional details in small frames called blocks. All the blocks, also known as a ledger in the database are timestamped and linked to the earlier block. This allows for transactions between two entries in an organized, confirmable, and permanent way.

Based on the blockchain technology, a tamper-proof and distributed media transaction design is proposed. Current media distribution technology does not store self-retrievable information of transaction or content modification trails. For instance, digital copies of precious artwork, entertainment, and creative media are shared for various events like exhibitions, gallery collections, or editing media in a production workflow. Original media is frequently edited for false advertisements over social media. In such cases, there is no reliable infrastructure that traces the transactions made to the content. In this paper, a unique watermarking-based blockchain infrastructure can help the situation. The watermarking technique consists of two important parts: a) a cryptographic hash that contains transaction trails and b) an image hash that has the original, untampered media content. Any access to the file triggers a reaction in which the watermark is extracted, a part of it goes to a distributed ledger to track transaction history and the other part is used to spot any changes made to the concerned multimedia file.

Blockchain is a decentralized system that conducts business in a decentralized manner, i.e., without having been verified by any central organization. In lieu of a central organization, multiple nodes of the block are used to verify and validate the transactions. Blockchain works by chaining or linking the blocks that contain the transaction information and storing them together in a sequential order, thereby earning its name. Not limited to digital currency, blockchain has potential use in transferring digital content. Other applications include hardware and software wallets, conformity to identity, and many other commercial and business transaction management applications.

In the proposed solution, a distributed and tamper-proof media transaction combines the concepts of blockchain as well as a self-embedded watermarking algorithm. Entrusting a mechanism for a distributed content-transaction framework and content-integrity by detecting and recovering from any corruptive editing attempts on the original media.
To detect manipulated regions of a tampered image, this method utilizes a self-embedded watermarking technique. A pseudo-random projection is used as a watermark in place of the original image, embedded with the original image, which uses a wavelet-based technology. A comprehensive image reconstruction method aids in recovering the host image. A signal can be reconstructed using a set of linear measurements which are reduced and imply a sparse representation when compared to a minimal sampling rate. In plain terms, the original image is broken down into several samples of low resolution. One of these is randomly selected as the cryptographic hash for watermarking.

The framework proposed in this paper includes the standard infrastructure of blockchain technology to accommodate the more complex multimedia blockchain. The frame is divided into two parts: Content Preprocessing (to inscribe the watermark) and registration within the framework, and Content Authentication. Blockchain technology supports digital transactions that can be decentralized and trustless. After approving a transaction, the block is then updated into the permanent ledger of the distributed blockchain and broadcasted to every user. These transactions are embedded with smart contracts and information about the involved users. To record all kinds of information regarding digital transactions, public information is required. It includes transactional history, transaction IDs, etc., and a compressed sensing (CS) sample information so that the original media file can be reconstructed. This public information must be etched into the data before distribution. Upon approval of the transaction, the file is distributed, and a copy is kept in a linked content server. Corresponding information regarding the digital transaction is then uploaded to the database server.

Authentication of the media can be achieved by examining the watermark itself. This watermark consists of the transaction ID and CS information of the provided samples so that the original media can be reconstructed. The transaction ID is useful for retrieving the detailed information of the transaction from the distributed ledger. It can also be used to redeem ownership information, send and receive node addresses, block addresses, and the time when the transaction took place, the original cost of the media file, etc. For security reasons, and to avoid piracy and duplicity, the blockchain verifies the media for tampering detection-authentication. Failure of this verification process indicates that the media is corrupted and cannot be distributed.

The entire blockchain process operates faster than its theoretical rendition. It can also be fine-tuned to application-specific requirements as streaming data cannot be sampled quickly using the former technique. Nonetheless, the blockchain sees its future in a variety of implementations across numerous disciplines and will soon become the next era in computer security.

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