Improving authenticity and provenance in digital biomarkers: the case for digital watermarking

Enabled by the rapid rise in data collected by technologies, Digital Biomarkers (DBx) have emerged as a novel mechanism for assessment, diagnosis, and monitoring. However, the exponential growth and ability to generate new data has also raised questions about ways of ensuring the authenticity and accuracy of digital data. A recent study highlights how Large Language Models (LLMs) generating human-like content amplify these risks, and propose watermarking as a scalable solution to ensure data integrity. This article examines the potential of digital watermarking to help safeguard the reliability and provenance of DBx data, whilst also addressing broader challenges in health systems.