Data hiding in multimedia - theory and applications

Multimedia data hiding or steganography is a means of communication using subliminal channels. The resource for the subliminal communication scheme is the distortion of the original content that can be tolerated. This thesis addresses two main issues of steganographic communication schemes: 1. How does one maximize the distortion introduced without affecting fidelity of the content? 2. How does one efficiently utilize the resource (the distortion introduced) for communicating as many bits of information as possible? In other words, what is a good signaling strategy for the subliminal communication scheme? Close to optimal solutions for both issues are analyzed. Many techniques for the issue for maximizing the resource, viz, the distortion introduced imperceptibly in images and video frames, are proposed. Different signaling strategies for steganographic communication are explored, and a novel signaling technique employing a floating signal constellation is proposed. Algorithms for optimal choices of the parameters of the signaling technique are presented. Other application specific issues like the type of robustness needed are taken into consideration along with the established theoretical background to design optimal data hiding schemes. In particular, two very important applications of data hiding are addressed - data hiding for multimedia content delivery, and data hiding for watermarking (for proving ownership). A robust watermarking protocol for unambiguous resolution of ownership is proposed

Subliminal channels in post-quantum digital signature schemes

We analyze the digital signatures schemes submitted to NIST\u27s Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization Project in search for subliminal channels

Subliminal Hash Channels

Due to their nature, subliminal channels are mostly regarded as being malicious, but due to recent legislation efforts users\u27 perception might change. Such channels can be used to subvert digital signature protocols without degrading the security of the underlying primitive. Thus, it is natural to find countermeasures and devise subliminal-free signatures. In this paper we discuss state-of-the-art countermeasures and introduce a generic method to bypass them

Consumer Neuroscience: A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Marketing Leveraging Advances in Neuroscience, Psychology and Economics

For decades, neuroscience has greatly contributed to our foundational understanding of human behavior. More recently, the findings and methods of neuroscience have been applied to study the process of decision-making in order to offer advanced insights into the neural mechanisms that influence economic and consumer choices. In this thesis, I will address how customized marketing strategies can be enriched through the integration of consumer neuroscience, an integrative field anchored in the biological, cognitive and affective mechanisms of consumer behavior. By recognizing and utilizing these multidisciplinary interdependencies, marketers can enhance their advertising and promotional mix to elicit desired neural and affective consumer responses and measure these reactions in order to enhance purchasing decisions. The principal objective of this thesis is to present a comprehensive review of consumer neuroscience and to elucidate why it is an increasingly important area of study within the framework of human behavior. I will also describe how the insights gained from this emerging field can be leveraged to optimize marketing activities. Finally, I propose an experiment that illuminates key research questions, which may have considerable impact on the discipline of consumer neuroscience as well as the marketing industry

visualization of mind: visual exploration of brain activity

Since ancient times, philosophical and religious thinkers have made attempts to understand the nature of the mind. Today, new developments in technology enable scientists and researchers to explore the brain’s complex physical activity, revealing a deeper mental reality. Moreover, the emergence of low-cost biometric devices gives nonscientific communities an ability to explore usage of biometric data in variety of ways. This project explores visualization of human brain activity using electroencephalogram neural interface to create a visually engaging and meaningful user experience. The implementation of the project takes a form of an interactive installation. It projects the visual form, whose visual parameters are changed in real-time based on the participant’s brain wave signal values. The brain activity is monitored by the electroencephalogram (EEG) neural interface, which transmits the brain wave signal data of the participant’s brain activity to the computer program. The program analyzes signal values and manipulates the visual form. In order to create a meaningful and useful experiences, the research was conducted in areas of cognitive science, philosophy, symbolism and visual design. The visual form was designed based on the Kalachakra Mandala, a circular diagram used in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. It was selected as a reference because of its deep philosophical meaning and purpose. The user experience was evaluated based on qualitative methods that consisted of interviews and written questionnaires. It provided insights into the user’s experience and helped to determine potential applications. The method of recording and analyzing mathematical data of the brain activity was used to determine a credible quantitative evaluation method to be used in the future. The evaluation showed the majority of participants who tested the installation had a calming and relaxing experience. Many of them indicated the project has a high potential to be used for meditation and therapy purposes

Embedding Error Based Data Hiding in Color Images for Distortion Tolerance

In this paper, a data hiding scheme with distortion tolerance for color image is proposed. Data hiding is used to embed secret information into the cover image for secure transmission and protecting copyright. The secret information feasibly a text or an image. To protect the copyright of a true color image, a signature (a watermark), which is represented by a sequence of binary data, is embedded in the color image. In this proposed scheme, we first calculate the embedding error between the cover image and the secret information. Based on this embedding error, the stego image is computed then the embedded data are extracted by the extraction procedure. This scheme can tolerate some distortion such us salt and pepper noise, Gaussian noise, uniform noise, and JPEG lossy compression when transmitting a stego image through any network. Experimental results and discussions reveal that the proposed scheme tolerates those distortions with acceptable image quality