NODE 4c3c33a3Re: picture signatures
wcs@anchor.ho.att.com (bill.stewart@pleasantonca.ncr.com +1-510-484-6204)Thu, 23 Dec 93 23:06:11 PST
While timestamps do have some use for pictures, they're more limited in
what they'll do for you. Paul Baclace suggested that if you have the
oldest secure timestamp for a given picture, then you can prove it's yours.
Some problems include:
- NOT having the timestamp doesn't prove it's NOT yours, whereas a signature
is real good evidence.
- If somebody changes one or more bits of the picture, your timestamp is
no longer valid; the same is of course true with signatures.
But with signatures, you can demonstrate *who* you got the picture from,
whereas timestamps don't do that very well (though I suppose you could
accept signed timestamps as well as acceptingsigned pictures.)
- Timestamps are more anonymous, but you can achieve the same effect with
signatures by creating a random public-private key pair to signing
each picture, and then demonstrate knowledge of the private key
if you need to prove ownership.
On the other hand, secure timestamps *do* give you timestamping, which
signatures by themselves don't, so it's certainly a valuable addition.
Bill