Publication Date

Spring 2025

Degree Type

Master's Project

Degree Name

Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS)

Department

Computer Science

First Advisor

Thomas Austin

Second Advisor

Robert Chun

Third Advisor

Fabio Di Troia

Keywords

Blockchain, Smart Contracts, Tamper-Proof Photos, Metadata Hashing, Medical Image Verification, Cryptographic Hashes.

Abstract

The easy access to artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, such as deepfakes and generative adversarial networks (GANs), has facilitated the creation of highly realistic artificial images, thereby undermining the authenticity of photos in today’s digital age. Misinformation and manipulation are key dangers to digital content due to this advancement. Therefore, the need for reliable methods of photo verification and authentication has become increasingly important. This report presents a decentralized iOS app that uses blockchain to ensure photo authenticity. The app leverages Ethereum smart contracts and cryptographic hashing to securely log image metadata. When a user takes a photo, the app hashes the image along with key metadata like time, location, and device details—and stores the hash on the blockchain. This creates a permanent, tamper-proof record. Users can later verify the authenticity of the image by re-uploading it to the app. The system then recalculates the hash and compares it with the one saved in the blockchain, verifying if the image has been tampered with. The app also employs Merkle Trees to support partial metadata validation, providing flexibility where some of the metadata may not be available. The solution is very cost-effective to deploy. It is inexpensive, approximately 0.00025 SEPETH per hash($0.0000326 USD), and near-instantaneous verification with no fee. These findings show that the solution is feasible and scalable, offering a cost-effective approach to maintaining photo integrity with minimal cost.

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