New Technology to Make Certificates Tamper-Proof

| Anindya Kumar Banerjee, Thought Leader, Kolkata - 02 Dec 2018

New Technology to Make Certificates Tamper-Proof

By Anindya Kumar Banerjee

KOLKATA, Dec 02, 2018:

The growing menace of counterfeit paper certificate which in itself is a Rs.10,000 Crore market in India and the market size is growing year on year, has become a big issue in India. The solution provided through this article will discuss the possibility to store the paper certificate in a digital locker electronically for any requirement globally in the future. Sounds interesting, does it or not?

Well actually, it is a special security paper used for certifications and available for a little extra cost than ordinary paper this paper has features which ordinary paper can never have.

These are not only water proof, termite proof, heat proof, chemical resistance, tear proof, Water, oil and grease resistant, but also do not need lamination, properties like it soaks ink and the ink cannot be removed due to the matt textured surface, Oxo degradable which makes it a complete Green (bio degradable similar to paper), protects against unauthorized RF readers with multi-ply and most important can be archived in digital form.

These typical synthetic paper scan be embedded with numerous unique Security Features designed to provide a high level of document protection apart from being a solution in itself as a replacement of paper certification.

These features discourage unauthorized document duplication and it is impossible to accurately copy such a document, which once printed on any official document like Certificate, Mark sheets etc.

A document (like mark-sheet or certificate) when printed on synthetic paper using security features like Anti-Copy when copied the word "COPY" appears on the photocopy of the same in the background over the sheet using Micro Words Technology which is invisible to the naked eye. Invisible Images are visible when viewed under black light, Anti-Copy feature is hidden in a specified location in the document on the back of the sheet one can rub a coin over the back of the sheet to activate this feature.

Principles for Open Standards across government for software interoperability, data and document formats have been directed by the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Govt of India.

How synthetic paper is best for Anti-counterfeit &e-Verification Technology?

Firstly, synthetic paper certificates remove the menace of counterfeiting if added with DigiLocker®, verifying certificate with help of the issuing institute is time consuming and instant inspection is impossible, hence, the risk of catching those lawbreakers is extremely low. It creates great incentives for criminals to imitate and do fake selling.
Secondly, nowadays Counterfeiters in certificate industry are well aware of most security features used in certificates, which make counterfeit and original certificates look nearly identical.
Thirdly, there is intense competition in the counterfeit market due to large numbers of sellers available and this resulted in price war assisting purchasers of fake certificates.
Lastly this anti-counterfeiting technology is being used only through Government Security Printing Presses over a decade.

The Author is in IT industry in parallel to education and governance for almost 3 decades and has worked in more than 20 states in prestigious projects including working with few state governments and the World Bank. He has authored ‘Technology to make your Marksheets & Certificates tamperproof has arrived’ recently. He can be contacted at akb.now@gmail.com)

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