Lossy vs. Lossless Compression

When considering the potential use of compression within the cover-medium, it is also important to consider the type of compression used. Most compression methods can be categorized into two types; lossy compression and lossless compression.

If the compression method used is of the lossy type, the integrity of any message data embedded into the cover-medium prior to compression may be compromised when the stego-medium is uncompressed as some of the original audio data may be lost. Due to this property of lossy compression types, audio data compressed in this manner may not be appropriate for use as cover-medium without additional safeguards against this loss.