A general framework for partial reversible data hiding using hamming code

A general framework for partial reversible data hiding is proposed in this paper. The original image is adjusted to form a cover image in image transferring phase. The minimal square error criterion between Hamming codeword and the bits from the original image is adopted to generate the cover image. After image transformation, some bits in the cover image are actually a Hamming codeword. In data embedding phase, the secret bits are concealed into the cover image to generate a stego image. The secret messages can be extracted from the stego image, and the stego image can be recovered back to cover image in data extraction and image restoration phase. The so-called partial reversible property indicates an almost distortion-free original image (e.g., cover image) can be obtained. Theoretical analysis on the embedding capacity and visual performance by the proposed method is given. Further, experimental and theoretical results are demonstrated to show the feasibility and advantages of the proposed method. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.