{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1660520,
        "msgid": "unej-researcher-develops-method-for-detecting-digital-image-forgery-1775613252",
        "date": "2026-04-07 12:11:51",
        "title": "Unej Researcher Develops Method for Detecting Digital Image Forgery",
        "author": "",
        "source": "ANTARA_ID",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Technology",
        "summary": "Prof Kiswara Agung Santoso, a professor at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Jember (Unej), has developed an innovative method to detect digital image tampering using the mathematical concept of a magic square. This technique embeds a hidden watermark that reveals manipulated areas by marking them in white, even for changes as small as one pixel, addressing the growing challenge of convincing image forgeries in the digital age. The method, inspired by social media manipulations, has been registered as intellectual property and highlights mathematics' practical applications in solving real-world issues.",
        "content": "<p>Jember, East Java - A researcher and professor at the Faculty of\nMathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Jember (Unej),\nProf Kiswara Agung Santoso, has developed a method for detecting digital\nimage forgery that utilises the simple mathematical concept known as a\nmagic square. \u201cThe method works like a hidden watermark that can detect\nand clearly indicate the parts of the image that have been manipulated,\u201d\nhe said in a written statement in Jember Regency, East Java, on Tuesday.\nIn the digital era, image manipulation has become increasingly easy,\nwith various photo editing applications available on mobile devices and\ncomputers, allowing anyone to alter images in seconds, and the results\noften appear highly convincing, making them difficult to distinguish\nfrom original images. This situation prompted him to seek an\nauthentication method that not only detects whether an image has been\nmodified but also clearly shows which parts have been altered. \u201cThe\ninspiration came from photos on social media. For example, attaching\nsomeone\u2019s head to another person\u2019s body, making it look as if it\u2019s real.\nFrom there, the question arose: is there a way to show which parts have\nactually been manipulated,\u201d he said. From this thinking, Kiswara\ndeveloped an image authentication method that utilises steganography\ntechniques, which is a way to hide \u2018secret codes\u2019 within an image\nwithout damaging its appearance. The code is built using the concept of\na 3\u00d73 magic square, an arrangement of numbers in a square where the sum\non each row, column, and diagonal is always the same. This mathematical\nbalance is then used as a kind of \u2018digital fingerprint\u2019 for the original\nimage. \u201cTo the naked eye, the difference between the original image and\nthe secured image is almost impossible to distinguish by the human eye,\u201d\nhe stated. When the image\u2019s authenticity is checked, the system examines\nwhether the hidden number pattern in each square still complies with the\nmagic square rules. If there is any change, no matter how small,\nincluding brightness adjustments, the pattern will be disrupted. The\nsystem then automatically marks the manipulated area in white, allowing\nusers to immediately see clearly which parts of the image have been\naltered. To ensure the method\u2019s performance, Prof Kiswara and his team\nconducted simulations of extreme manipulations, where replacing the head\nor body of an object in a photo with another object resulted in the\nsystem accurately marking the manipulation area in white. Even changes\nas small as one pixel can be detected by the system. \u201cThe principle is\nthat every pixel in the image is interconnected. Through the magic\nsquare concept, the sum of values in rows, columns, and diagonals must\nbe the same. When a part does not meet that pattern, that\u2019s where\nindications of manipulation can be found,\u201d he said. The method,\ninitially published at the international conference IC-MaGeStiC, has now\nbeen officially registered as Intellectual Property (HKI) in the name of\nthe Unej researcher. \u201cI want to emphasise that mathematics does not just\nstop as theory in the classroom, but has tremendous potential to solve\nreal problems in society,\u201d he stated.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/unej-researcher-develops-method-for-detecting-digital-image-forgery-1775613252",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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