> if average people have the technology now, how long has it been in the hands of police departments, newspapers, militaries, and intelligence agencies?
Most of those people are average. Intelligence agencies can be assumed to have more advanced technologies in a number of areas but the gap between what they have and what's out in the more public world has narrowed.
We've already had image tampering technologies for a long time but there's not been a significant problem with fakes in the press or as evidence.
It is an important issue anyway and figuring out ways to being able to differentiate the genuine from the fake, with cryptographic signing in cameras for example, are worthwhile.
Most of those people are average. Intelligence agencies can be assumed to have more advanced technologies in a number of areas but the gap between what they have and what's out in the more public world has narrowed.
We've already had image tampering technologies for a long time but there's not been a significant problem with fakes in the press or as evidence.
It is an important issue anyway and figuring out ways to being able to differentiate the genuine from the fake, with cryptographic signing in cameras for example, are worthwhile.