An image sensor enabling automatic steganography is disclosed herein. One embodiment of such a sensor includes a single integrated system fabricated on a single substrate. In particular, the image sensor can include a digital pixel sensor; supporting circuitry, image modification circuitry, and memory all formed on a single chip. Also disclosed is a method for using steganography to hide information in images. The method comprises providing image data configured as a plurality of bit planes and providing information for insertion into the image and preparing that information for insertion into an image. A suitable bit plane is selected from among the plurality of bit planes and the information sought to be hidden is inserted into the image creating a steganographic image.