As technology continues to transform our society, information security has emerged as a primary concern for businesses and individuals alike. Yet, with so much attention focused on protecting information in the electronic domain, it is easy to overlook the continued significance of printed materials and the vulnerabilities that exist around them.
With globalization in full swing, counterfeiting and fraud have grown to epidemic proportions. Statistics show that much of this crime involves either printed documents (checks) or products that incorporate print (pharmaceuticals). While a variety of solutions have been developed in an effort to “stem the tide,” cost and complexity remain significant barriers in the global fight to ensure authenticity in print.
The Mission of Authenticate-360
The purpose of Authenticate-360 is to serve as a valuable resource for document security in general, while exploring the potential of print as a simple, low-cost, security layer in the fight against fraud, counterfeiting and other related crimes. Through education and empowerment, Authenticate-360 seeks to achieve an environment that is naturally disruptive to the kinds of criminal activity that contribute to financial loss, damaged reputations and regulatory repercussions.
Getting to the Bottom of Print Security
In order to understand the potential for print-based security, it is helpful to look at the print landscape. The diagram above illustrates a typical value chain and the range of security measures currently employed to ensure authenticity of goods and documents throughout the value chain. While the value chain may vary somewhat by industry and application, it can generally be stated that the higher up the value chain, the higher the costs associated with risks, and the more costly and sophisticated the means of security employed to combat it.
Print security techniques, such as taggants, holographics, invisible inks, special papers and trace elements, while effective in many applications, are complex to implement and require specialized equipment to validate their contents. Further, many of these techniques work in a covert manner, serving law enforcement, rather than providing a visual deterrent to dissuade would-be criminals. In reality, solving counterfeiting and fraud requires a combination of approaches. To be truly effective on a global scale requires layers of security utilizing a variety of techniques.
Print represents a great potential in combating rampant fraud and counterfeiting. As a security layer, print is inexpensive to deploy. Advancements in print algorithms and techniques, combined with ubiquitous access to the authentications tools – such as scanners, the Internet, cell phones and other widely used verification devices – represent a means of reaching all levels of the value chain to effectively “drain the swamp” and stamp out counterfeiting and fraud as it currently exists.