CIF:Small:Privacy Protection of Multimedia Processing

CIF:Small:Privacy Protection of Multimedia Processing -Project Summary Sen-ching Samson Cheung ([email protected]:y.edu) This proposal presents an integrated research and education program to study the problems in and to derive innovative solutions for protecting one of the most fundamental rights of our citizens -the right to privacy in sharing their personal information in this increasingly inter-connected world. The focus of this program is on multimedia data and systems which are characterized by their high dimensionality, high data-rates and stringent requirements in real-time responses. The research objective is to investigate the combination of signal processing techniques and secure cryptographical primitives in breaking the "efficiency barrier" of classical Secure Multiparty Computation (SMC) schemes. The successful completion of this research will enable multimedia processing such as biometric matching, object detection, speech analysis and computational photography to be performed on encrypted data without significant increases in computational and communication complexities, thereby protecting our sensitive information from misuse while allowing us to enjoy the latest technological advancements in multimedia communication. New technologies alone are not enough to provide a comprehensive solution to privacy protection. Four innovative education programs, tightly coupled with the research objectives, are included in this proposal. They include outreach programs for high school students in rural areas, international summer undergraduate research experiences, postgraduate education and community outreach via television documentaries on research discovery.