Graphics Co. (Adobe) admits using technology to block counterfeiting

[kskiska]

Graphics company admits using technology to block attempts at counterfeiting

Adobe Systems Inc. acknowledged Friday it quietly added technology to the world's best-known graphics software at the request of government regulators and international bankers to prevent consumers from making copies of the world's major currencies.

The unusual concession has angered scores of customers.

Adobe, the world's leading vendor for graphics software, said the secretive technology "would have minimal impact on honest customers." It generates a warning message when someone tries to make digital copies of some currencies.

The U.S. Federal Reserve and other organizations that worked on the technology said they could not disclose how it works and would not name which other software companies include it in their products. They cited concerns that counterfeiters would try to defeat it.

"We sort of knew this would come out eventually," Adobe spokesman Russell Brady said. "We can't really talk about the technology itself."

A Microsoft Corp. spokesman, Jim Desler, said the technology was not built into versions of its dominant Windows operating system.

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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/01/09/financial1934EST0365.DTL

[TeeYiYi]

1. Bizarre. I think I'll scan a $20 and see what happens. *lol* ...n/t

TYY

[TeeYiYi]

2. I scanned a $10 with no problem . . .

. . . a beautiful 300 dpi full color scan of a crisp new ten dollar bill and no warning. :shrug:

Maybe it has to be a $20 or higher. . .

TYY

On Edit: I didn't have a $20.B-)

[librechik]

4. the new 20s have magnetic strips with "anti counterfeiting"

technology. Pieces falling into place?

[BuckeFushe]

3. it has nothing to do with scanning

It has everything to do with trying to reproduce or modify the bills with Photoshop or other Adobe products.

[TeeYiYi]

5. BuckeFushe . . .

. . . so how would I get the warning to come up? I scanned the bill straight into PhotoshopCS and made all kinds of modifications. Even converted it to CMYK for printing. No warning. Any suggestions?

TYY

[T Bone]

6. Maybe the warning will come when you try to spend it

and that special pen they swipe across it tells them you are a counterfeiter because it's not the correct type of PAPER ?

Sorry I think conterfeiters debase our currency and make our economy weaker for all of us. The economy is already weak enough given what morans we have in the white house.

[TeeYiYi]

7. No doubt about that . . .

. . . however, I have no intention of counterfeiting money, let alone trying to spend it. I was just trying to get the warning window in Photoshop, the one that is mentioned in the original post, to come up.

I think most counterfeit money is passed in convenience stores, gas stations and dark bars. I doubt much of it sees that little pen. . .

TYY

[LifeDuringWartime]

8. wow

i figured that software code was one of the last places free from government's grubby paws!

guess not :(