{"id":"https://openalex.org/W7130336572","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2602.15143","title":"Protecting Language Models Against Unauthorized Distillation through Trace Rewriting","display_name":"Protecting Language Models Against Unauthorized Distillation through Trace Rewriting","publication_year":2026,"publication_date":"2026-02-16","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W7130336572","doi":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2602.15143"},"language":null,"primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2602.15143","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2602.15143","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"type":"preprint","indexed_in":["datacite"],"open_access":{"is_oa":true,"oa_status":"green","oa_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2602.15143","any_repository_has_fulltext":true},"authorships":[{"author_position":"first","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5125007001","display_name":"Xinhang Ma","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Ma, Xinhang","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5030505534","display_name":"William Yeoh","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2617-870X"},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Yeoh, William","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"middle","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5126330471","display_name":"Ning Zhang","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Zhang, Ning","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]},{"author_position":"last","author":{"id":"https://openalex.org/A5123043033","display_name":"Yevgeniy Vorobeychik","orcid":null},"institutions":[],"countries":[],"is_corresponding":false,"raw_author_name":"Vorobeychik, Yevgeniy","raw_affiliation_strings":[],"raw_orcid":null,"affiliations":[]}],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":0,"corresponding_author_ids":[],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":null,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":0,"citation_normalized_percentile":null,"cited_by_percentile_year":null,"biblio":{"volume":null,"issue":null,"first_page":null,"last_page":null},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11689","display_name":"Adversarial Robustness in Machine Learning","score":0.48750001192092896,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T11689","display_name":"Adversarial Robustness in Machine Learning","score":0.48750001192092896,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T10028","display_name":"Topic Modeling","score":0.1103999987244606,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T12026","display_name":"Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI)","score":0.05700000002980232,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1702","display_name":"Artificial Intelligence"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/17","display_name":"Computer Science"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/3","display_name":"Physical Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/rewriting","display_name":"Rewriting","score":0.9520000219345093},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/correctness","display_name":"Correctness","score":0.7850000262260437},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/leverage","display_name":"Leverage (statistics)","score":0.6675999760627747},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/trace","display_name":"TRACE (psycholinguistics)","score":0.6026999950408936},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/simple","display_name":"Simple (philosophy)","score":0.5062999725341797},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/verifiable-secret-sharing","display_name":"Verifiable secret sharing","score":0.45730000734329224},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/executable","display_name":"Executable","score":0.4564000070095062}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C154690210","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1668499","display_name":"Rewriting","level":2,"score":0.9520000219345093},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C55439883","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q360812","display_name":"Correctness","level":2,"score":0.7850000262260437},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C41008148","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21198","display_name":"Computer science","level":0,"score":0.7501000165939331},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C153083717","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6535263","display_name":"Leverage (statistics)","level":2,"score":0.6675999760627747},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C75291252","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1315756","display_name":"TRACE (psycholinguistics)","level":2,"score":0.6026999950408936},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2780586882","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7520643","display_name":"Simple (philosophy)","level":2,"score":0.5062999725341797},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C199360897","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q9143","display_name":"Programming language","level":1,"score":0.4593000113964081},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C85847156","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q59015987","display_name":"Verifiable secret sharing","level":3,"score":0.45730000734329224},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C160145156","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q778586","display_name":"Executable","level":2,"score":0.4564000070095062},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C154945302","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11660","display_name":"Artificial intelligence","level":1,"score":0.4205999970436096},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C80444323","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2878974","display_name":"Theoretical computer science","level":1,"score":0.40059998631477356},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C204030448","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q101017","display_name":"Distillation","level":2,"score":0.3659000098705292},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C195344581","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2555318","display_name":"Automated reasoning","level":2,"score":0.3353999853134155},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C36503486","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11235244","display_name":"Domain (mathematical analysis)","level":2,"score":0.31040000915527344},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C38652104","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3510521","display_name":"Computer security","level":1,"score":0.3005000054836273},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C204806902","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2333581","display_name":"Semantic security","level":5,"score":0.2851000130176544},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C138673069","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q322229","display_name":"Tracing","level":2,"score":0.28049999475479126},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C115901376","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184199","display_name":"Automation","level":2,"score":0.2671999931335449},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C2776650193","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q264661","display_name":"Obstacle","level":2,"score":0.25029999017715454}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":1,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2602.15143","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2602.15143","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":null,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"}],"best_oa_location":{"id":"doi:10.48550/arxiv.2602.15143","is_oa":true,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.2602.15143","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S4306400194","display_name":"arXiv (Cornell University)","issn_l":null,"issn":null,"is_oa":true,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":false,"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/I205783295","host_organization_name":"Cornell University","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/I205783295"],"host_organization_lineage_names":[],"type":"repository"},"license":"cc-by","license_id":"https://openalex.org/licenses/cc-by","version":null,"is_accepted":false,"is_published":false,"raw_source_name":null,"raw_type":"Preprint"},"sustainable_development_goals":[{"id":"https://metadata.un.org/sdg/4","display_name":"Quality Education","score":0.7554606199264526}],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"pdf":false,"grobid_xml":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":[],"abstract_inverted_index":{"Knowledge":[0],"distillation":[1,23],"is":[2,151],"a":[3,82,111,117],"widely":[4],"adopted":[5],"technique":[6],"for":[7,41,79],"transferring":[8],"capabilities":[9,99],"from":[10],"LLMs":[11],"to":[12,46],"smaller,":[13],"more":[14],"efficient":[15],"student":[16,73],"models.":[17,37,74],"However,":[18],"unauthorized":[19,52],"use":[20,104],"of":[21,27,61,94,100],"knowledge":[22],"takes":[24],"unfair":[25],"advantage":[26],"the":[28,58,97],"considerable":[29],"effort":[30],"and":[31,64,90],"cost":[32],"put":[33],"into":[34],"developing":[35],"frontier":[36],"We":[38,75],"investigate":[39],"methods":[40],"modifying":[42],"teacher-generated":[43],"reasoning":[44,84],"traces":[45],"achieve":[47],"two":[48],"objectives":[49],"that":[50,110,131,139],"deter":[51],"distillation:":[53],"(1)":[54],"\\emph{anti-distillation},":[55],"or":[56,123],"degrading":[57],"training":[59],"usefulness":[60],"query":[62],"responses,":[63],"(2)":[65],"\\emph{API":[66],"watermarking},":[67],"which":[68],"embeds":[69],"verifiable":[70],"signatures":[71],"in":[72],"introduce":[76],"several":[77],"approaches":[78],"dynamically":[80],"rewriting":[81,98,114,133],"teacher's":[83],"outputs":[85],"while":[86,102,121],"preserving":[87],"answer":[88],"correctness":[89],"semantic":[91],"coherence.":[92],"Two":[93],"these":[95],"leverage":[96],"LLMs,":[101],"others":[103],"gradient-based":[105],"techniques.":[106],"Our":[107,149],"experiments":[108],"show":[109,130],"simple":[112],"instruction-based":[113],"approach":[115,134],"achieves":[116],"strong":[118],"anti-distillation":[119],"effect":[120],"maintaining":[122],"even":[124],"improving":[125],"teacher":[126],"performance.":[127],"Furthermore,":[128],"we":[129],"our":[132],"also":[135],"enables":[136],"embedding":[137],"watermarks":[138],"can":[140],"be":[141],"reliably":[142],"detected":[143],"with":[144],"essentially":[145],"no":[146],"false":[147],"alarms.":[148],"code":[150],"available":[152],"at":[153],"https://github.com/xhOwenMa/trace-rewriting.":[154]},"counts_by_year":[],"updated_date":"2026-07-01T06:00:48.157686","created_date":"2026-02-19T00:00:00"}