Repeatable Data Hiding: Towards the Reusability of Digital Images

This article proposes a repeatable data hiding framework for digital images, in which the distortion caused by data hiding is invariable no matter how many times the embedding operation is executed. As a result, the usability of images can be always guaranteed. To achieve repeatable data hiding, we deduce the theoretical modification probabilities of the elements in cover image (an image used for data hiding). Then we design an embedding framework to make the practical modification probabilities of cover elements equal to the deduced ones. When additional data is embedded into cover image with the deduced probabilities, the modification-trace of current embedding is replaced by the latter embedding. That means multiple embeddings do not produce new modification-trace, so that the distortion caused by data hiding is invariable. Therefore, the repeatability of data hiding can be guaranteed. Finally, we describe some applications of repeatable data hiding, e.g., logistics management, authentication database management, and steganography, to show the practicability of our framework.