Software takes aim at altered photos

SAN DIEGO - Tracing its roots to a founder's anger at a no-show home remodeling crew, the makers of Shoot & Proof software aim to erase any doubts that digital photos are faked or manipulated.

The software maker, CodaSystem France SA in Paris, unveiled the fruits of its founder's frustrations Tuesday at the DEMOfall 2007 technology show, a two-day rapid-fire procession of new gadgets and gizmos.
DEMO, now in its in its 17th year, has served as a launch pad for such industry standouts as TiVo Inc., Palm Inc.'s Pilot and the Danger HipTop handheld. Each of the 69 presenters gets six minutes to impress a crowd of journalists and venture capitalists as well as technology companies looking for startups to buy.
Shoot & Proof is intended for use on cell phones, said Frederic Vanholder, managing director, and it is running on about 600 handsets, thanks partly to $5 million in venture capital raised last year.
The angry CodaSystem founder, who has since left the company, figured that if he photographed the part of his home that needed the work that wasn't done — and he convinced authorities the image was authentic — then he would be able to get back what he paid for the work.
Shoot & Proof shows where a photo was shot (if the phone is equipped with global positioning software), as well as when and on whose device.
A retailer client of CodaSystem uses Shoot & Proof to ensure manufacturers that their wares are being displayed as promised. A security company uses it to record break-ins and reassure insurance companies they aren't being bilked.
Near the opposite end of the spectrum, another participant in DEMOfall, MotionDSP Inc., introduced a Web site, http://www.fixmymovie.com, where consumers can sharpen pictures and videos taken on cell phones, images that are typically jumpy and heavily pixelated.
MotionDSP, based in San Mateo, Calif., got its start by licensing software from the University of California at Santa Cruz and targeting military and intelligence agencies. In-Q-Tel, an investment firm launched by the CIA in 1990 to support U.S. intelligence work, announced in July that it was an investor.
The company won't discuss its government work in detail but says its software also can be used to sharpen images taken with security cameras, which, like cell phones, are known for delivering poor quality. Though vastly improved, the images still fall short of footage shot with a digital camcorder, however.