The Fingerprint Of Paper
A new deterrent for forgers and fraudsters could be in the making with British researchers’ announcement last week of a relatively cheap method for distinguishing between authentic documents and counterfeits.
The technique involves the laser scanning of a document, whose paper, cardboard, or plastic surface contains microscopic imperfections resulting from manufacture that cannot be duplicated; the pattern or “landscape” of these imperfections is recorded by the laser scanner, generating a fingerprint of the document that can be used to verify its authenticity.
Imperial College London nanotechnology professor Russell Cowburn says the technology could secure a document in two main ways. One technique involves laser scanning a spot on the document when it is first issued, producing a code that could be stored in a central computer file; the document would be scanned again when someone tries to use it, and compared to the database to confirm that it is genuine.
The other technique would have the document’s fingerprint numerically encrypted and then printed on the document as a bar code, which would also be stored in a database for later comparison. The only way a forger could circumvent the scanner in both instances would be to break into the database and alter the information.
The U.S. Government Printing Office, which is in charge of printing passports, plans to independently test the scanner in the next few months, says CTO Michael Walsh. The method is detailed in the current issue of Nature.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Boston Globe (08/01/05); Cook, Gareth
