Ritzaus Bureau A/S and SASHA ApS partner to protect digital image content
Ritzaus Bureau A/S, home to image services Scanpix and Scanpix Pro, and Danish technology company SASHA ApS are joining forces to help photographers and media organizations hold onto their rights as images circulate across the web.
Millions of images are shared online every day. As they travel, the invisible layer of information that identifies who created them, who owns them, and how they can be used quietly disappears. What's left is an image with no traceable origin. For photographers, that means lost income. For media organizations, it means eroded credibility, with no verification layer. As AI-generated imagery becomes harder to tell apart from the real thing, the question of authenticity is becoming impossible to ignore. This partnership between Ritzau and SASHA is designed to change that, so that provenance stays embedded in an image no matter where it ends up.
For a news agency, credibility is everything. Ritzau operates within a large international network of news agencies united around a shared commitment to trust. This means rigorous source verification, transparency, and a clear declaration of origin at every step. Ritzau is deeply invested in creating a secure environment for everyone who produces and publishes visual content.
"Images need to move freely online without losing their provenance, rights, or credibility in the process. SASHA's technology strengthens the protection of our content and gives both media organisations and rights holders the tools they need to verify authenticity and ensure correct usage. At a time when trust in visual content has never been more critical, this is a meaningful step forward for Ritzau," says Mikael Laustsen, Commercial Director at Ritzau’s Bureau.
Tom Tramborg, Global Director for Media and Publishing at SASHA, brings more than 30 years of experience in the image industry, spanning photographer management, publishing, and international picture agencies:
"I have watched images lose their attribution throughout their digital journey, both deliberately and by accident, and the pace is only increasing. Rights get diluted and so does compensation. This is a reality facing every image agency, photographer, and publisher whose business depends on visual content. Protecting that content can never come down to a single layer of defence. Metadata gets stripped. Visible watermarks can be cropped out or erased with AI. Provenance needs to live in the pixels themselves, anchored by a cryptographic signature that cannot be removed. We give images their identity back and give rights holders their control back.!
I am genuinely proud of what we are building with Ritzau. A number of international publishers and image agencies are watching closely, and we are already in the process of rolling out similar solutions with them. Trustworthy content is the foundation the internet runs on. This partnership shows how authenticity and provenance can be built into content from the very beginning, rather than scrambled after the fact," says Thomas Eriksson, Founder and CEO of SASHA.
About SASHA
SASHA ApS is a Danish technology company helping photographers, media organisations, and rights holders protect their digital content. Headquartered in Odense, SASHA is working towards a safer internet grounded in consent, provenance, and accountability.
About Ritzaus Bureau A/S
Ritzaus Bureau A/S is Denmark's leading news agency, delivering news, images, and distribution services through its platforms Scanpix and ScanpixPro.
For further information, please contact:
Mia Ladefoged, mvla@ritzau.dk, +45 2666 8460
Tom Tramborg, tom@sasha.eu, +45 2090 1002
For more information, exclusive details, interviews, or a demo, please contact our Head of Public Affairs & Media at: lottethor@sasha.eu
