AnchMark: Anchor-Contrastive Watermarking vs GenAI-Based Image Modifications

Abstract

This work explores the evolution of watermarking techniques designed to preserve the integrity of digital image content, especially against perturbations encountered during image transmission. An overlooked vulnerability is unveiled: existing watermarks' detectability significantly drops against even moderate generative model modifications, prompting a deeper investigation into the societal implications from a policy viewpoint. In response, we propose ANCHMARK, a robust watermarking paradigm, which remarkably achieves a detection AUC exceeding 0.93 against perturbations from unseen generative models, showcasing a promising advancement in reliable watermarking amidst evolving image modification techniques.