[Cryptography] Photojournalists & filmmakers want cameras, to be encrypted

[Mansour Moufid]

On Sat, Dec 17, 2016 at 9:31 PM, M373 <M373 at riseup.net> wrote:
> A major professional association, the National Press Photographers
> Association (NPPA), among others, is joining or covering favorably the
> Freedom of the Press Foundation statement.
> https://nppa.org/news/journalists-documentary-filmmakers-call-encryption-cameras
>
> pros: footage verifiability/authentication. protects sensitive content from
> being detected. may protect actual journos at cost of equipment/funds
>
> cons: depends on good implementation. processing issues. cameras likely to
> be confiscated or destroyed more frequently but may protect actual photog
> although some may be tortured for passcode.
>
> Verifiability would be of interest to activists and in particular groups
> like https://witness.org/ . It might also be helpful to legal documenters
> like: https://www.nlg.org/lo-trainings/ .

There's a big difference between what people think they will get with
encryption and what they will actually get. They want: "No one can see
my pictures without my password." What they'll get is "I see you have
encrypted photos here, this way to enhanced interrogation."

Same for authentication. Most likely cameras will embed encrypted
metadata in photos, which the manufacturer will decrypt in the cloud.
"myphotos.canon.com says you were at place X on day Y."

Encryption in cameras is a dumb idea. People will just have to try it
to see why. Good luck to them.