Reuters has forged a deal with Attributor to use its content monitoring technology to track the distribution of online news by 'fingerprinting' individual items spread across social media sites.

The agreement enables Reuters to pursue new online content syndication opportunities while protecting the value of its original content in a market where distribution and syndication models are adapting to the mores of social media.

Attributor will digitally fingerprint content and monitor pages on the web to provide real time analysis of where and when Reuters content is used.

"Attributor's technology gives us the critical business intelligence to pursue new opportunities for licensing and use of original content," said Ric Camacho, vice president of digital syndication at Reuters.

"This agreement is part of Reuters strategy of innovation as we continue to develop next-generation digital news syndication."

The announcement of the deal comes after the Associated Press forged a similar partnership with Attributor, in May, to track its copy online.