Irdeto Access, a world leader in content protection and management and a subsidiary of Naspers, a multinational media group, has patented a new technology that allows content owners to trace the source of pirated content. The technology is part of Irdeto Access' overall security management programme offered to pay-media operators and content owners.

With the existing illegal possibilities to distribute stolen content over the Internet, it is crucial that content owners have the tools to be able to trace the source of content leakage. The technology developed by Irdeto Access enables an operator to trace the initial smart card or device that was originally used to decrypt the content. This provides content owners and network operators with a powerful tool in monitoring the piracy of content.

An official release informs that the technology developed by Irdeto Access allows unique fingerprints to be inserted into encrypted content under the management of a secure device or smart card. The advantages over conventional fingerprinting techniques include the ability of the smart card to control the insertion of the fingerprint. This means that the fingerprint insertion process is secured within the smart card and cannot easily be tampered with. In addition, it provides an upgrade of watermarking or fingerprinting the algorithm without impacting the set-top box or player device. This means that as new watermarking techniques are developed these can be deployed without requiring expensive upgrades in the field. Moreover, an end-to-end encryption of the content is now possible. There is no need to decrypt content to insert the watermark at any point in the delivery chain.

As part of its successful security programme, Irdeto Access will continue to apply its three-pronged approach to piracy using advanced encryption technology, extensive investigation of suspected fraud and counterfeit operations, and close cooperation with international bodies.

Furthermore, a new smart card version will be developed and employed routinely. The smart card will be released irrespective of whether the existing card has been hacked or not, reducing attractiveness of piracy due to the smaller volumes of each card version in the field, as well as reducing the costs inflicted on operators by piracy.