NEC applying recognition systems to detect counterfeit goods

NEC system enables smart phones, tablets to spot counterfeit goods (IT World)

The system employs what NEC calls “object fingerprint authentication technology” to identify unique patterns in the grain of materials such as plastic or metal. These patterns that are developed during the production of the goods are invisible to the human eye and can be used as indicators to trace the origin of the product and identify if they originated from a company’s factory or are illegal copies. The technology can also be used to improve maintenance and repair work processes in the industrial space.

A thorough biometric system gets around the fake voter ID card problem

Fake Voters’ ID Cards In T’di? (Daily Guide)
Database de-duplication and election day biometric voter verification are crucial.

Technology to thwart fingerprint fakers

Clarkson professor develops fake fingerprint finding technology (Watertown Daily Times - New York)

“People can take materials and make a fake finger and pretend to be someone else,” she said. “We have a piece of software that determines whether the fingerprint is fake or not.”

There's also some good stuff about convenience, security and trade-offs at the link.

This post from February highlights an application that detects altered fingerprints: App Helps ID Altered Fingerprints

The security and ID management race continues.

Don't Try This At Home

Sad. Now, in all likelihood, she and a large portion of her family will never be issued another US visa.

Lovelorn 21-yr-old held with fake passport in Pune (DNA India)

“Dara’s fiancée is working in New York, and she wanted to meet him. However, she was not getting a visa, due to some technical issues. Dara’s brother contacted Raju, who asked Dara and her brother to come to Mumbai and made a visa for her in the name of Mina, who is unrelated to the family yet looks similar to Dara. Once the documents were processed, Raju replaced the photo on Mina’s passport with that of Dara. The fact that Dara was using a fake passport was revealed when she underwent a biometric test in New York.”

Around 10 Taiwanese Passports Forged Annually

Foreign ministry calls attention to forged Taiwanese passports (Taiwan News)

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs drew attention Thursday to recent cases of foreign nationals attempting to enter Europe on forged Taiwanese passports. Most of the cases involved authentic Taiwanese biometric passports that had either the photograph or the chip containing personal information replaced, said James Lee, director-general of the ministry's Department of European Affairs.

In the current state of affairs of biometric passports, everything is riding on the integrity of the chip.

Fake Passports - Kiwis Don't Play

Two years in the Hoosegow and then Deportation (3 News)

Immigration NZ's Steve Stuart said that while the ability to detect false passports had improved over the years, criminals had also improved their techniques for forging and stealing passports.

Immigration officials were now fingerprinting asylum seekers and people referred at the border and checking these fingerprints with other countries. High-tech passport scanners and collection of facial biometric data were also being used.

Biometrics will be used in all immigration visa application checks when the roll-out of a new Immigration Global Management System begins next year.

See also: New Zealand Passport checks find surge in fakes


h/t @m2sys

The Fake ID industry & the ID Arms Race

Latest counterfeit IDs are so good they’re dangerous (Washington Post)

The shoe box that arrived in the mail from China contained a cheap pair of shoes.

“We thought the Chinese guy had ripped us off,” said the 19-year-old who shared shots with Eney the night he died.

Until then, the transaction had gone smoothly. She made first contact through an e-mail address supplied by the acquaintance. A prompt e-mail reply laid out the deal.

“It was $300 if you just wanted one” license, she said. “It was $200 [each] for two and $75 [each] if you wanted more than 20.”...

“You can pick from a list of about 10 states,” she said. “I heard that the Pennsylvania license was the best one.”

The shoe box with postmarks from China arrived in a matter of days. After initial consternation, she flipped over one of the shoes and ripped open the sole. Out tumbled 22 brand-new, visually perfect driver’s licenses.

and some analysis by Randall Parker at FuturePundit

But since the capabilities of the fakers and deceivers keep growing and the amount of identify faking and theft grow as well an escalating response by the verifiers (e.g. bar bouncers, bank tellers, police) is a foregone conclusion.

via Instapundit.com

Those with an anti- biometrics technology point of view often portray the ID management industry as motivated by a desire for more control over ordinary people without acknowledging that biometric applications are frequently a response to the unforeseen impact of technological advancement and globalization.

Technologies, such as sophisticated printing systems, that were once expensive are now cheap and it is possible to trade with nearly anyone anywhere with an internet connection and a bank account. The overall impact of these changes has been a reduction of global poverty on a scale that the world has never seen, but it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows.