Iris pattern obfuscation in digital images

Abstract

As the imaging systems in handheld devices continue to improve, both in terms of optical quality and the use of advanced computational imaging techniques, we are close to a point where high quality iris images can be obtained from personal images, which in turn can be used for spoofing attacks against iris recognition system. Thus an emerging challenge for next-generation personal imaging devices is to provide a means to obfuscate iris pattern in digital photographs and videos, but without destroying the photo-realistic qualities of the eye regions in a photograph or video. This will effectively reduce the chance of obtaining iris patterns easily, which can be later used for spoofing. In this paper we propose five different techniques for iris pattern obfuscation and perform some initial testing to evaluate which are more robust. In addition some representative samples are provided of the visible effects on the appearance of eye regions.