---
title: "ZK-JPEG: Zero-Knowledge Image Editing and Compression"
subtitle: "Proving JPEG compression and edits without revealing the original image"
slug: zk-jpeg-zero-knowledge-image-editing-and-compression
url: https://listedarticles.com/articles/zk-jpeg-zero-knowledge-image-editing-and-compression
canonical_url: https://eprint.iacr.org/2026/2039
content_type: research
language: en
published_at: 2026-09-01T00:00:00.000Z
updated_at: 2026-09-20T00:13:25.469Z
author: "Samuel Dittmer, Steve Lu, Kimberlee Model, Joseph Near"
author_url: https://eprint.iacr.org/2026/2039
authored_by: human
publisher: "IACR Cryptology ePrint Archive"
publisher_url: https://eprint.iacr.org/
topics: ["Security", "Privacy", "Research"]
license: all-rights-reserved
word_count: 328
reading_minutes: 1
citation: "Samuel Dittmer, Steve Lu, Kimberlee Model, Joseph Near, IACR Cryptology ePrint Archive. \"ZK-JPEG: Zero-Knowledge Image Editing and Compression.\" 1 Sept 2026. https://eprint.iacr.org/2026/2039 (all-rights-reserved)"
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---

# ZK-JPEG: Zero-Knowledge Image Editing and Compression

*Proving JPEG compression and edits without revealing the original image*

> Dittmer, Lu, Model, and Near present ZK-JPEG, a zero-knowledge tool that proves an image was correctly JPEG-compressed (and can verify a family of edits) from a secret committed input—bridging camera attestation with lossy encoding.

#### Paper 2026/2039

### [ZK-JPEG: Zero-knowledge Image Editing and Compression](/2026/2039.pdf)

Samuel Dittmer[![](/img/orcid.svg)](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0018-6354), Stealth Software Technologies, Inc.

Steve Lu[![](/img/orcid.svg)](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1837-8864), Stealth Software Technologies, Inc.

Kimberlee Model[![](/img/orcid.svg)](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0714-3931), Stealth Software Technologies, Inc.

Joseph Near[![](/img/orcid.svg)](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3203-3742), University of Vermont

##### Abstract

Tools for generating deep fake photographs are proliferating with greater ease of use and prominence in pop culture. Image authentication tools can defeat these deceitful developments by verifying that a digital image was actually produced by a physical camera. The challenge is that these tools must be robust to desirable image transformations. Camera attestation uses digital signatures to prove an image's provenance from a camera. Lossy compression makes minute changes in order to reduce an image's size, and blurring or redacting regions of an image can protect its subjects. These changes invalidate an image's signature. Prior works use zero-knowledge (ZK) to prove a published image's edit history, but they do not survive lossy encoding such as the JPEG format. We present \zkjpeg, a cryptographic tool for JPEG compression that proves an image was correctly compressed from a secret, committed input. In addition, our tool can verify a large family of image transformations by integrating them into JPEG compression with minimal cost. Our system is fast, flexible, and can be instantiated from off-the-shelf ZK tools. We use PicoZK to convert Python image editing code into a ZK circuit for the line-point zero knowledge (LPZK) proof system.

##### Metadata

Available format(s) 
     [ ![](/img/file-pdf.svg)PDF](/2026/2039.pdf)
Category
    [Applications](/search?category=APPLICATIONS)
Publication info
    Published elsewhere. Minor revision. SCN 2026
Keywords
    [Zero-knowledge proofs](/search?q=Zero-knowledge%20proofs)[image provenance](/search?q=image%20provenance)[verifiable image editing](/search?q=verifiable%20image%20editing)
Contact author(s)
     sam @ stealthsoftwareinc com  
steve @ stealthsoftwareinc com  
kimee @ stealthsoftwareinc com  
jnear @ uvm edu 
History
    2026-09-17: approved
    2026-09-15: received
    [See all versions](/archive/versions/2026/2039)
Short URL
    <https://ia.cr/2026/2039>
License
    [ ![Creative Commons Attribution](/img/license/CC_BY.svg)  
CC BY ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

**BibTeX** ![](/img/copy-outline.svg)Copy to clipboard
    
    
    @misc{cryptoeprint:2026/2039,
          author = {Samuel Dittmer and Steve Lu and Kimberlee Model and Joseph Near},
          title = {{ZK}-{JPEG}: Zero-knowledge Image Editing and Compression},
          howpublished = {Cryptology {ePrint} Archive, Paper 2026/2039},
          year = {2026},
          url = {https://eprint.iacr.org/2026/2039}
    }